The ACT Matrix vs. The Choice Point | Similarities, Differences, and Harmony?
In an alternate universe somewhere there was a hundred year war between the factions of the ACT Matrix and the Choice Point to settle which tool was the absolute best. Luckily, here in this universe, the open science and collaborative nature of the CBS field allows for both the ACT Matrix and the Choice Point to exist simultaneously and in harmony. But what exactly are the similarities and differences between the two models, and can they be used together?
New learners to ACT often grasp onto either the Matrix or the Choice Point, and once you’ve learned one it can be difficult to “cross the streams” and apply the other with clients without confusion given their similar terminology. While each tool is different and has pros and cons, both can be used to promote psychological flexibility, and in the end what’s most important is what is most workable for you and your clients. Here I’ll cover some of the similarities and differences between the two approaches, and also give insight about how to marry the tools together into a friendly and consistent framework.
The Choice Point
The Choice Point was developed initially for the book The Weight Escape, by Ann Bailey, Joseph Ciarrochi, and Russ Harris, and later popularized by Russ and featured heavily in his work. It looks like this:
Copyright Russ Harris 2017 |actmindfully.com.au
The Choice Point’s main aim is to illustrate and connect users to the two main options we have as human beings in any given situation. We can move toward what matters to us, or we can move away from what matters. And we can do both sets of actions in countless different ways. When we take the time to plot out the situation that we’re experiencing, the inner stuff that hooks us, and how we respond to it, we can more easily identify what moves we can make that would move us toward what matters, and connect with the deep significance there. Sound familiar? A lot of this can be said about the ACT Matrix as well. The similarities between the Choice Point and the Matrix are vast, and the differences are small but important and can cause hangups if not handled carefully. I won’t get into what the ACT Matrix is or how it’s set up as I’ve covered that extensively on this site. If you are new to the Matrix start here.
Similarities
The Choice Point and the ACT Matrix both use the terms ‘Toward’ and ‘Away’, and are both models of functional analysis of behavior.
Both tools can be used for case conceptualization, goal setting, treatment planning, as discrete interventions, and as a simplified version of the psychological flexibility model (as opposed to looking at the Hexaflex).
Both approaches map out overt and covert behavior and look at the relationship between our actions and our thoughts, feelings, memories, etc.
Much of the same content is targeted with both tools, you can see in this screenshot from an overview of the Choice Point by Russ Harris (which you can download here), if we drew a horizontal and vertical line through this we would get a standard ACT Matrix.
Copyright Russ Harris 2017 |actmindfully.com.au
In each model we attempt to increase awareness and attention to behavior and how it is functioning for clients, as well as activate behavior change oriented toward values.
Differences
The differences between the two approaches lie in how the terminology is defined, and what the main emphasis is in initiating psychological flexibility.
The terminology used in the Choice Point and ACT Matrix are the main sticking point to understanding each one and using them flexibly. In the Choice Point, ‘Away Moves’ and ‘Toward Moves’ always mean ‘Away from the life you want/values’, and ‘Toward the life you want/values’. This is a dead simple, easy to understand concept that all clients and clinicians get right away.
In the ACT Matrix on the other hand, ‘Toward Moves’ mean ‘Actions you take that move you toward the life you want/values’, but ‘Away Moves’ mean ‘Moves you make in response to inner stuff that shows up’. There’s a ton of nuance that is hard to capture in the ACT Matrix framework, which is why I built this site, but the bottom line is that the way the ACT Matrix uses the terms Toward and Away is. . . kinda dumb at worst, and needlessly confusing at best. I’m the biggest advocate of the ACT Matrix that you’ll meet, and I concede this point entirely.
I’ve written about the problems with the Toward & Away language here, and have even created a new version of the matrix called the Survival-Vital Matrix to alleviate this concern. But even this Matrix is not without faults. In any case, the fact that the Choice Point and the ACT Matrix both use the same terms but with vastly different definitions, means that moving between one and the other causes confusion for both the clinician and client.
When learning the ACT Matrix for the first time, many clinicians and clients automatically assume that Toward & Away mean toward what matters and away from what matters. This is why when introducing the Matrix for the first time I take extra steps to clarify the meaning.
The second main difference between the two approaches is the processes emphasized to initiate change.
Broadly speaking, the Choice Point is a point of view that helps you make more workable decisions & actions, and through repeated use also increases awareness of and connection to your sense of self-as-context, and present-moment experience.
The ACT Matrix (broadly), is a point of view that helps you increase awareness of and connection to your sense of self-as-context, and present-moment experience, and through repeated use also helps you make more workable decisions & actions.
Both approaches accomplish the same goal, but go about it differently.
In ACT Matrix work, the vertical line, and the center circle, are where the bulk of the focus is placed, as many clients actually have a hard time discriminating between actions that move them toward what matters and actions that move them away from what matters. It turns out that’s difficult to discern without a more established ability to notice our inner and outer experience. Once some basic skills are practiced, clients are much better able to identify and move toward what matters purposefully.
The ACT Matrix & The Choice Point Together in Harmony
But wait, let’s go back to this picture. . .
. . . so if the Choice Point contains a hidden Matrix, is it possible that the Matrix contains hidden Choice Points? The answer is an unsurprising, YES. You see if the standard Matrix had used any other terms for the horizontal line, you would be able to seamlessly combine it with the Choice Point. That’s because there are “hidden” Choice Points all along the horizontal line of the ACT Matrix.
The horizontal line of the Matrix represents behavior, and both Toward and Away moves (in the ACT Matrix sense) can be workable or unworkable depending on the context. That means you can do something that is a Toward Move in a way that actually makes your life smaller and more stuck, and you can do Away Moves in ways that make your life bigger and more meaningful. As living, breathing, complex creatures we must be able to make both Away and Toward moves depending on the context. You see a rabbit can run away from a coyote and toward a carrot at the same time. But if a rabbit only moved toward carrots and never moved away from coyotes, it wouldn’t last long. If a rabbit only moved away from coyotes, and never moved toward carrots it would die exhausted. We need to be able to do both but hopefully understand when it’s appropriate to do what.
That means that along the spectrum of the horizontal line, Choice Points spring forth. Any time we engage in Away Moves or Toward Moves (in the Matrix sense), we must assess whether these actions help us move us toward what matters or away from it. Assessing function in this way is a fundamental step of ACT Matrix work, I cover it in detail here.
Ultimately, both the ACT Matrix and the Choice Point prompt conversations with the Self that are more workable than the conversations that typically occur in the mind of a struggling person. When we can have more workable conversations then over time problems which were once insurmountable become increasingly easier to manage, and perhaps not as insurmountable as we were led to believe.
In the end, the main hurdle is the terminology, if you can overcome that either by using a version of the Matrix that doesn’t use Toward & Away, or by switching out the terms of the Choice Point both models can be used together effectively. No matter which approach you favor, I encourage you to use them flexibly, but also fearlessly. Stress test the hell out of these diagrams, in what situations do they fail completely? In what contexts do they not do what they claim to do? And when that happens, what do you do next?
This website is a response to stress-testing the ACT Matrix and trying to push it to the limits. As I do that I discover incredible new ways of promoting psychological flexibility for myself and my clients.