Criticisms of ACT
Criticisms of ACT are just now gradually beginning to appear in published forms. The written criticisms of RFT (and to a lesser degree, functional contextualism) are extensive and in writing, as are the defenses. They can be found in the other sections of the website.
You can see various criticisms in the daughter pages below.
Part of the core of the ACT / RFT tradition is the openness to criticism, including self-criticism. At the LaSalle ACT Summer Institute (Philadelphia, 2005) James Herbert gave a really solid paper walking through many of the criticisms he knew about, under the title "Is ACT a fad?" He considers not just whether the criticisms are correct, but what those in the ACT / RFT community should do about them. You can look at that talk by clicking on the link below.
- Criticisms of ACT, ACT Summer Institute II (July 2005, PowerPoint file)
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Below is a list of papers that have been published criticizing ACT as well as replies that have been published when available. If you know of other criticisms or replies please email or add a linked sub-page to this page.
- Corrigan, P. (2001). Getting ahead of the data: A threat to some behavior therapies. The Behavior Therapist, 24(9), 189-193.
- Corrigan, P. (2002). The data is still the thing: A reply to Gaynor and Hayes. The Behavior Therapist, 25, 140.
- Asmundson, G.J.G. & Hadjistavropolous, H.D. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Rehabilitation of a Girl With Chronic Idiopathic Pain: Are We Breaking New Ground? Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 13, 178–181.
- Öst, L. (2008). Efficacy of the third wave of behavioral therapies: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46(3), 296-321.
- Hofmann, S.G. & Asmundson, G.J.G. (2008). Acceptance and mindfulness-based therapy: New wave or old hat? Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 1-16.
- Arche, J.J. & Craske, M.G. (in press). ACT and CBT for anxiety disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice
Replies to ACT criticisms
- Hayes, S. C. (2002). On being visited by the vita police: A reply to Corrigan. The Behavior Therapist, 25, 134-137.
- Hayes, S.C. (in press). Climbing Our Hills: A Beginning Conversation on the Comparison of ACT and Traditional CBT. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice
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