Compare and Contrast ACT with MBCT Psychology Essay

To Compare and Contrast Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc51327209 \h 3Third Wave of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) PAGEREF _Toc51327210 \h 3Compare and Contrast ACT with MBCT PAGEREF _Toc51327211 \h 4Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) PAGEREF _Toc51327212 \h 4Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) PAGEREF _Toc51327213 \h 5Similarities and Differences between ACT and MBCT PAGEREF _Toc51327214 \h 6Reflection PAGEREF _Toc51327215 \h 8Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc51327216 \h 8References PAGEREF _Toc51327217 \h 9
“To Compare and Contrast ACT with MBCT”
Introduction
Social and personal deviations change individual psychological functionalities, which create risks for humans to accept them with consistent behavior and cognition that lead towards emotional traumas (Kahl, Winter & Schweiger, 2012). The research by Carvalho, Martins, Almeida & Silva (2017) illustrated that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) changes with generations due to evolving psychological events. The first wave of CBT associates with behavioural theories including operant learning and classical conditioning, which advanced with information processing in the second wave to focus on dysfunctional behavior of emotions, psychological state and cognitions. Other than that, the third wave appeared to improve the effectiveness of CBT that emphasizes on the observed changes and contextual strategies.
By considering particular wave, the primary interventions include acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), metacognitive therapy (MCT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) play a central role in improving emotional wellbeing among humans. Those intrusions create awareness about the cognitive reactions and involuntary behavior relating to senses, emotions and thoughts of an individual. However, they are different in their influences on human psychology (Dimidjian et al., 2016). Therefore, the research elaborates the differences and similarities of ACT and MBCT as CBT third wave’s interventions and their roots with the second generation.
Third Wave of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In modern psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has significant importance to prevent psychological malfunctions. Thus, CBT is a set of interventions to treat psychological disorders by undertaking empirical support. Hayes and Hofmann (2017) illustrate that the rapid change in psychological functions prompts CBT into the third wave with significant emphasis on relationships, values, acceptance, emotions, mindfulness, metacognition and goals. However, the first generation of CBT focused on the principles of learning and behavioural theories to influence human mindset, whereas the classic CBT in the second wave concerned about the maladaptive patterns of thinking to divert and detect psychology.
By identifying the gaps in the first and second wave of CBT, the third wave adopts various interventions including functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), meta‐cognitive therapy (MT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and many others to focus on the evidence-based processes (Dimidjian et al., 2016). The upheaval in behavioural and cognitive therapy raises the effectiveness of acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions, specifically ACT and MBCT in clinical psychology.
Compare and Contrast ACT with MBCT
For demonstrating the similarities and differences between ACT and MBCT, both therapies are discussed below based on the theoretical and contextual perspective.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is the third wave intervention that utilizes humanistic and eclectic approaches to improve psychosocial acceptability and flexibility among individuals to promote healthy wellbeing. Thus, it majorly associates with the Relational Frame Theory (RFT) to offer holistic benefits to humans with mindfully-oriented behavioural theory. In the case of ACT, the psychologist encourages individuals with abnormalities to accept individual human psyche with psychological flexibility (Zhang et al., 2018). According to Hayes perspective, the ACT is the comprehensive distancing from the painful thoughts and optimizes inner potential to overcome with psychological breakdowns. Consequently, ACT is a systematic and solution-focused strategy that emphasizes on six core practices to develop psychological flexibility among human including acceptance, mindfulness, values, observing self, cognitive defusion, and committed actions (Mubina, Saraswati & Menaldi, 2016). With those processes, individual enhance capacity to be aware of him and others.
ACT is noteworthy therapy in managing stress and depression, pain relief, life-quality, relationship, a shift in mindsets, low self-esteem concerns, phobia, personal-development, and others. Thus, the concept applies to psychological anomalies with specific techniques and skills, including value assessments, awareness exercises, group activities, metaphors and others. ACT performs effectively with unique interventions, including acceptance strategies for role-modelling and conversations. Along with it, deliteralization for defusion, feeling process and redefining thinking capabilities. The other technique is hopelessness intervention to improve action for achieving personal goals (Chowdhury, 2020). The other research by Bean, Ong, Lee and Twohig (2017) highlighted that ACT practices prevent adversary thoughts in groups due to its broader perspective, structured approach and group conformity. In this manner, it works well in defining roles in case of depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and severe traumatic conditions because with group activities, icebreaking, role-playing and psychological flexibility.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is another third wave CBT intervention that combines mindfulness strategies with cognitive behavioural therapy to reduce stress conditions with the eight-session program. MBCT is impressive to prevent vascular as well as traumatic brain injury along with depression, anxiety disorders and bipolar issues among patients. MBCT emphasizes meditation and building relationship between thinking abilities and feelings to improve psychological conditions among individuals (Sipe & Eisendrath, 2012). Moreover, patients with diabetes, chronic pain, epilepsy and cancer show more improvement in their health with the MBCT treatments as it decreases the level of depression and intensity of pain with mindfulness and cognitive practices (Metcalf & Dimidjian, 2014). With improved effectiveness in mindfulness therapy, MBCT has the long-term influence of individual wellbeing and emotional stability.
MBCT works on the etiological theory, which highlights that individual can return to depression if triggered with the unpleasant episode. As a result, MBCT works on changing that automatic process and improve individual responsiveness to accept the negative thoughts and lead towards contempla...