RSS Feed
According to some happiness is not just about feeling good
It can easily and validly be argued that depression and misery are common, in fact ubiquitous. If we’re seeking happiness should we then, try to fight it or accept it - or can we do both?
A relatively new, modified version of cognitive therapy with some influence from positive psychology has been named ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. There’s no doubt it has some strong points and some of you might find that it helps you find your own version of happiness.
Click here to read the full article.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, December 30th, 2006 at 2:53 pm and is filed under Happiness News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can also leave a response.
December 30th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
Hi Tim,
I’d just like to say (with some authority, as I am an ACT trainer) that ACT has not been influenced at all by positive psychology; although there may be some areas of overlap, ACT was created in 1986, long before the positive psychology movement existed. The main aim in ACT is not to find happiness. The aim is to create a rich full and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. In the ACT approach, happiness will often arise as a byproduct of creating a meaningful life (which is done through repeatedly taking action guided by your deepest values) - however happiness is not the only byproduct of such a life; other emotional byproducts include fear, anxiety, sadness, anger etc. Why? Because when we live a full human life, we will experience the full range of human emotions - not just the pleasant ones. ACT advocates embracing all emotional states without a struggle - in the same way as you accept the changing seasons. Paradoxically, the more willing we are to have the full range of human emotions - not just the pleasant ones - the more we seem to find happiness as a result. But in ACT, happiness is never the goal - it is merely a beneficial byproduct. The goal is simply to live a meaningful life. I also wouldn’t call ACT a ‘cognitive’ therapy. At its core it is a ‘behavioural’ therapy: it is ultimately about taking action; action that is values-guided, effective, and practised with mindfulness. That is why ACT is officially pronounced as the word ‘act’, not as the initials.
Having said all that, I’d like to thank you for raising awareness of this very powerful therapy.
Cheers, Russ Harris
December 31st, 2006 at 7:08 am
Thanks, Russ, for your excellent and succinct summary of ACT - enlightening and much appreciated.