Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Values

What Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Values Really Are

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), developed by Steven Hayes, treats values as the foundation for psychological flexibility and meaningful living. Values in ACT are not goals you achieve or boxes you tick. They are chosen directions—ongoing commitments to how you want to move through life, even when it's difficult. The research base is substantial: over 300 randomised controlled trials have shown ACT effective for anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and other conditions precisely because it anchors people to something that matters when their circumstances are hard.

The distinction matters. You might have a goal of running a marathon. That's an endpoint, something you finish. A value, in ACT terms, might be "physical strength" or "caring for my body." You live that value on a run, in the gym, in how you eat—and you can live it whether you cross the finish line or not. The value is the direction. The commitments are the actions that move you in that direction. When you confuse the two, you end up abandoning your values the moment a goal falls away.

How ACT Values Fit Into The Six Processes

Hayes built ACT around six core processes, sometimes called the hexaflex. Values is one of them, but it doesn't work alone. The others are defusion (stepping back from unhelpful thoughts), acceptance (making room for difficult feelings rather than fighting them), present moment awareness (noticing what's happening now), committed action (taking steps aligned with your values even when it's uncomfortable), and self-as-context (recognizing the part of you that observes thoughts and feelings without being defined by them). These processes reinforce each other.

Here's how this plays out: You value your relationship but your partner has withdrawn. Difficult thoughts arrive: "I've failed. This will never get better." In ACT, you don't need to believe those thoughts or make them go away. Instead, you notice them (self-as-context), step back from them (defusion), feel the grief and fear that come with the withdrawal (acceptance), and in this very moment, decide what your next action will be (committed action). Your value—being present with this person—doesn't depend on the outcome. It depends on whether you show up. The value clarifies what you're committing to, not what you're trying to control.

The Work of Values Clarification

Many people avoid clarifying their values because they sense it will demand something of them. And they're right. A value that remains vague—"I should be a good parent" or "I want to be successful"—costs you nothing. It makes you feel right without requiring action. The moment you name a specific value with precision, you see the gap between it and how you're actually living. That gap creates discomfort. That's the point.

In ACT, values clarification starts with reflection across domains: relationships, work, health, personal growth, community, spirituality, creativity. Not all of these will matter equally. Some people care deeply about contribution; others don't. Some structure their lives around intimate connection; others find meaning in solitude and craft. The work is to notice which directions genuinely pull you, separate from what you think you should value or what others expect. This is harder than it sounds because we carry inherited values we've never examined. You might value security because your parent did, or achievement because it earned approval, and never notice that neither actually moves you.

Once you've identified your values, ACT asks you to commit to action. Not perfect action. Not action free from fear or discomfort. Committed action means taking steps aligned with your values even when your anxiety spikes, even when you doubt yourself, even when the outcome is uncertain. If you value honesty but have spent years avoiding a difficult conversation, committed action is having that conversation. It won't be easy. You'll feel resistance. In ACT, that's not a sign you're doing it wrong. It's a sign you're doing something that matters.

Why Values Matter More Than Feelings

The culture tells you to follow your passion, chase what feels good, let your emotions guide you. ACT inverts this. Feelings are data, not direction. Your anxiety about starting a business is real information, but it's not a command. Your grief when a relationship ends is valid, but it doesn't mean your value of love was wrong. The person who waits to feel motivated before acting on their values will wait forever. Motivation often comes after you've already moved in that direction.

This is where ACT differs from approaches that focus mainly on changing how you feel or think. Hayes' model says: you can't reliably control your inner experience. You can control where you direct your effort. You can choose which values to live by. You can take action aligned with those values even when doubt, fear, or sadness shows up. This is psychological flexibility—not the absence of pain, but the capacity to stay oriented toward what matters while carrying the full range of human experience.

The Next Step

Values clarification requires honesty about what actually moves you, not what should. The My Values assessment surfaces your values, ranks them, and shows you where you are and are not living them. From there, the work is committed action: small, specific steps aligned with the directions that matter to you. Not someday. Now.