ACT Cognitive Defusion Techniques 2

Question 1

The 'passengers on the bus' metaphor in ACT is primarily used to illustrate which concept?

Accepted Answer

Defusion from intrusive thoughts and urges that compete for control

Answer

The 'passengers on the bus' metaphor shows clients that thoughts and feelings are like unruly passengers—they may argue, but the driver (the client) still chooses the direction of travel.

Question 2

In the 'soldiers in the jungle' defusion metaphor, what do the soldiers represent for the client?

Accepted Answer

Outdated rules and beliefs that continue to govern behavior long past their usefulness

Answer

The 'soldiers in the jungle' (like Hiroo Onoda who kept fighting decades after WWII ended) represents outdated beliefs still controlling behavior long after their usefulness has expired.

Question 3

Singing a troubling thought to a familiar tune (e.g., 'Happy Birthday') as a defusion technique is designed to accomplish what?

Accepted Answer

Reduce the literal believability and emotional impact of the thought

Answer

Singing a troubling thought undermines its literal quality and reduces emotional impact through humorous recontextualization, which is the defusion goal.

Question 4

The 'newspaper headline' defusion exercise involves which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Summarizing a troubling thought as a brief headline to create observational distance

Answer

Reformatting a thought as a newspaper headline creates psychological distance and highlights the constructed, narrative nature of mental content.

Question 5

When a client says 'I AM a failure,' an ACT therapist applying defusion would most likely respond by:

Accepted Answer

Helping the client reframe it as 'I am having the thought that I am a failure'

Answer

Converting 'I am a failure' to 'I am having the thought that I am a failure' is a classic defusion technique that creates observational distance without challenging thought content.

ACT Practice Test

ACT Practice Test

ACT Cognitive Defusion Techniques 2