FOUNDATIONS OF ACT AND RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY

Language as a creator of psychological reality

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is based on Relational Frame Theory (RFT), a cognitive approach that explains how language and human cognition not only describe the world, but also shape our psychological experience.

According to this theory, humans learn through the creation of links or "relational frames" between stimuli, events and words.

This means that language has the power to generate internal realities that affect behavior as much as actual physical events. To understand this mechanism, let's look at the concept of personal values.

When an athlete uses language to define a guiding principle, he or she is creating a relational framework.

For example, if a team captain says to himself, "I want to be a leader of integrity," he establishes a cognitive relationship between his identity ("self") and an abstract concept ("integrity").

From that moment on, his actions on the field are no longer neutral; they are eva luated according to whether they are close to or far from that constructed linguistic framework.

Language, therefore, acts as a filter that can enhance commitment or, if rigid, limit adaptation.

Concept of Psychological Flexibility

The ultimate goal of RFT applied through ACT is to develop psychological flexibility.

This is defined as the ability to be fully in touch with the present moment, as a conscious human being, and to change or persist in a behavior when doing so serves valued ends.

It is not about eliminating difficult thoughts, but changing the relationship the individual has with them so that they do not dictate his or her actions.

An example of inflexibility would be a tennis player who, after missing a smash, merges with the thought "I don't have the touch today" and, as a result, changes his game to one that is excessively defensive and passive.

Psychological flexibility would involve noticing that thought ("I'm getting the idea that I don't have touch"), accepting it without judgment, and consciously deciding to continue executing his aggressive game plan because that aligns with his value of competitive courage.

RFT provides the tools to understand how environment and language influence these processes and how to regain the capacity for conscious choice.

Summary

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is grounded in Relational Frame Theory, explaining how language shapes psychological experience. Humans create cognitive links between concepts, where language acts as a filter that affects behavior as much as physical events.

When an athlete defines a personal value, he establishes a relational frame that guides his actions. From that point on, his behavior is no longer neutral, but is eva luated according to whether he moves closer to or further away from that internally constructed linguistic reality.

The ultimate goal is to develop psychological flexibility: to contact the present and change behavior to serve valued ends. The aim is not to eliminate difficult thoughts, but to modify the relationship with them in order to recover the capacity for conscious choice.