Which element is central to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy but not a core feature of traditional CBT?

• A. Acceptance and cognitive defusion.
• B. Thought records and cognitive restructuring.
• C. Graduated exposure.
• D. Dream interpretation.

Answer: (A)

Acceptance and cognitive defusion are central to ACT because the approach centers on psychological flexibility: you learn to experience thoughts and feelings openly, without trying to change them, and you see thoughts for what they are—just mental events—rather than absolute truths. This leads to choosing actions aligned with personal values even in the presence of distress. Traditional CBT, by contrast, concentrates on identifying and changing the content of thoughts through tools like cognitive restructuring and thought records, so those techniques are hallmark features of CBT rather than core to ACT. Graduated exposure is a staple CBT technique for reducing avoidance by systematically facing feared stimuli, whereas ACT emphasizes experiential exercises and values-driven action rather than exposure as the primary mechanism. Dream interpretation isn’t a central practice in ACT or standard CBT. So the distinctive element here is acceptance and cognitive defusion.