definition—term by term—in the next few sections.
Life Consequences
The term consequences relates to “results” or “outcomes,” and in most situations suggests a circumscribed event or stimuli that could reinforce a particular behavior. For the most part, “consequence” has a certain time-limited and final tone to it. When talking about values as being consequences, note that we are talking about life con- sequences, that is, consequences which occur over a lifetime. Some are cumulative, some are daily consequences, and some are one-time consequences. Some life conse- quences have a single form and others take many forms. The ACT view of values as
usual goal-oriented future to here/now—values are lived now, and yet much of living is directed toward future outcomes. Values are an outcome of living and they are a process of living. Be aware that ACT’s definition of “values” may be different than other defini- tions you have encountered.
The ACT phrase “Outcome is the process through which process becomes the outcome” (Hayes et al., 1999, p. 219) speaks to the enduring nature of valuing and living. Engaging in an ongoing stream of desired, personally worthy actions is a process, and it is also an outcome. Goal setting and achieving can be looked at as outcomes that are part of the process and as processes that precede the outcome of valued living. When a man is following values, he can get regular corrective feedback when he sets his sight on a value-directed goal, and then modify his behavior accordingly whether or not that goal is attained. A runner might set the goal of winning a race and train by establishing a program of running and cross training. Whether or not he attains the outcome goal of winning the race, he attains the process goals of exercising and caring for his health. As an outcome, he improves or maintains his health and perhaps social- izes with other runners, and he might enjoy running “just because” even though he may or may not ever win a race. The person who wants more friends as an outcome may or may not attain that goal, and she might attain outcomes of meeting people, taking risks, and being kind and friendly to others as process goals that, as values, become outcomes in their own right. (Perhaps this is a bit too much self-disclosure, but late in the process of editing this volume, it was easy for us to get caught up in narrow goals such as “finish- ing the edits on chapter 8.” At the same time, we were always heartened to catch sight of the real value behind our writing—disseminating and making ACT more accessible to others.)
Desired
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) defines desire as a “conscious
impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment” (p. 338) and also implies something that is longed or hoped for. The dictionary wasn’t written by behavior analysts, so there is a bit of structuralism and mentalism involved in that definition. To take another crack at it, we could say a desire is a verbally derived conditioned establishing operation involving appetitive stimuli—though that definition might be too much to digest to make it practical in therapy!
We are talking about a person’s attraction toward participating in certain events: behavior that by its very execution makes the doing worthwhile. It isn’t just something that a person “wants to” do. Hayes et al. (1999) caution against the using the word “want” to describe what a person values because “wanting” implies that something is missing and something must occur to fill the void. ACT supports taking an abundance stance (Wilson, 2006b), as if psychologically the client already has what he needs, and then moves forward from there toward desires—events that he longs for or hopes for. Wants are, by definition, not here/now. Values can always be lived here/now.
Values, Commitment, and Behavior Change Processes 147
Global
Values are described with the qualifier “global” to denote how comprehensive the desired ends can be. People acting out of their values are not aiming for specific, con- fined results. For instance, when one values participating in his work environment, he usually isn’t just shooting for an employee-of-the-year award (though that could be part of the greater plan). Valuing work participation might include aiming to foster work relationships, to make a difference in the community, to satisfy customers, to mentor subordinates, and to be an apprentice to his betters. It is an aim for all the experi- ences entailed in becoming employee of the year whether or not he ever receives the award. It is possible that a client might come to therapy and say, “I just want to win an employee-of-the-year award,” or some other defined end goal. It isn’t that an ACT therapist wouldn’t be able to help her with this agenda; we could work on improving her social skills and enhance her productivity by helping her arrange contingencies with a well-developed performance management program. And the ACT therapist would also perform a functional analysis of her behavior with regard to achieving goal X:
Why is such a circumscribed goal so important to this woman?
What supports that agenda, and can it be construed to be more global
and influenced by long-term experiential direct consequences rather than the satisfaction of a one-time “want”?
Is this goal set up just to help her escape thoughts such as “I’m a rotten salesperson”?
Is this goal intended to help her argue to her abusive husband or demand-
ing parents that she is “worth something”?
Finding those verbally construed contingencies helps us look at a broader spectrum of clinical concerns. Looking for an experiential avoidance agenda can assist in promot- ing a more therapeutic interaction, and assessing for personal approach agenda items can help direct the purpose of the intervention.