Relational frame theory: some implications for understanding and treating human psychopathology

Résumé 0

"In the current paper, we attempt to show how both the basic and applied sciences ofbehavior analysis have been transformed by the modern research agenda in human languageand cognition, known as Relational Frame Theory (RFT). At the level of basic process,the paper argues that the burgeoning literature on derived stimulus relations calls for areinterpretation of complex human behavior that extends beyond a purely contingencybasedanalysis. Specifically, the paper aims to show how a more complete account ofcomplex human behavior includes an analysis of relational frames, relational networks,relating relations, rules, perspective-taking, and the concept of self. According to thetheory, this analysis gives rise to a new interpretation of human psychopathology thatnecessarily transforms the applied science of behavior therapy. The current paper isdivided into three parts. In Part 1, we provide a brief summary of the integrated historyof behavioral psychology and behavior therapy, including their emphases on the principlesof classical and operant conditioning as the basis for an account of human psychopathology.In Part 2, the core features of RFT are presented, including the three concepts of bidirectionalstimulus relations, relating relations, and rule-governance that constitute critical componentsof the RFT approach to human psychopathology. The paper therein attempts to illustrate,with the use of clinically relevant examples, the ways in which these concepts can beused to understand psychopathology and psychotherapy. In Part 3, RFT interpretationsof three central features of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), namely acceptance,defusion, and values are provided with a view to demonstrating the utility of basic RFTconcepts in the treatment of human suffering."