Acceptance and commitment: Implications for prevention science

Recent research in behavior analysis and clinical psychology points to the importance of language processes having to do with the control of negative cognition and emotion and the commitment to valued action. Efforts to control unwanted thoughts and feelings, also referred to as experiential avoidance (EA), appear to be associated with a diverse array of psychological and behavioral difficulties. Recent research shows that interventions that reduce EA and help people to identify and commit to the pursuit of valued directions are beneficial for ameliorating diverse problems in living. These developments have the potential to improve the efficacy of many preventive interventions. This paper reviews the basic findings in these areas and points to some ways in which these developments could enhance the impact of preventive interventions.