ACT for Beginners

The Matrix and The Choice Point: Fellow Travellers

When Ann Bailey, Joe Ciarrochi, and myself created the original Choice Point back in 2013, we
were “standing on the shoulders of giants”, inspired and influenced by a range of powerful and
creative tools that came before us. Our two main influences were:

● The ABC model of behaviour analysis (Antecedents => Behaviour => Consequences).
● The “Bull’s Eye”, created by Tobias Lundgren. This was the first simple directional tool to
bring in the concepts of “towards moves” & “away moves”. (Moving towards the bull’s eye =
moving towards values; moving away from the bull’s eye = moving away from values.)

We were also influenced by the great simplicity, practicality and user-friendliness of:
● The “Matrix”, created by Kevin Polk, Jerold Hambright, Mark Webster
● The “Four Square Tool”, created by Kirk Strosahl and Patty Robinson

All of these tools are fellow travellers, with much overlap between them.

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 ACT for Beginners

The Matrix and The Choice Point: Similarities

The matrix is one of the most popular tools in ACT. It has much in common with the
choice point.

The most obvious similarity between the matrix and the choice point is the concept of
“towards moves”. In both tools, (as in the bull’s eye), “towards moves” are effective,
values-congruent behaviours: overt or covert behaviours that take you towards the life
you want to build, acting like the person you want to be.

Another similarity is that both tools are user-friendly, simple-to-use, and provide a
strong visual reference for the work we do in session.

The biggest differences between these popular tools are:

a) They have two different meanings for the term “away moves”
b) The matrix separates out overt behaviour from covert behaviour, whereas the
choice point doesn’t

Let’s explore these differences in more detail …

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 ACT for Beginners

“Away moves” in the Choice Point

In the choice point, the term “away moves” mean “ineffective, values-incongruent
behaviors”. In other words, overt or covert behaviors where you are “moving away from the
person you want to be” or “moving away from the life you want to build”.
These “away moves” may be motivated by cognitive fusion or experiential avoidance or a
combination of both. They are not synonymous with experiential avoidance; the term does
not mean “moving away from pain”.
For sure, “away moves” in the choice point are often motivated by experiential avoidance.
However, they may also be due to fusion with reasons, rules, desires, impulses, urges,
attitudes, “being right”, “looking good”, making sense; or fusion with the pursuit of power or
money or sex and so on. In other words, they may be due to fusion with any combination of
positive or negative cognitions. They may be under appetitive control (aiming to access
something you want) or aversive control (aiming to escape/avoid something you don’t want).

The term “hooked” on the “away” arrow refers to any combination of fusion and/or
experiential avoidance.

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 ACT for Beginners

“Away moves” in the Matrix

In textbook descriptions of the matrix, the term “away moves” does not mean “moving away from
values” or “moving away from the life you want to build”. Instead, the term means, “moving away
from unwanted thoughts and feelings”. In other words, “away moves” in the matrix is a synonym
for experiential avoidance.
This difference from the choice point is significan; experiential avoidance is not the same thing
as moving away from values. For sure, values-incongruent ineffective behaviours are often
motivated by experiential avoidance. However, they are also often motivated by other factors.
For example, they are often under appetitive control motivated by cognitive fusion: fusion with
rigid rules, fusion with desires, fusion with wanting to be right, and so on. Here are some of the
most common reinforcing consequences for values-incongruent ineffective behaviour:
• Escape/avoid people, places, situations, events, etc. (overt avoidance)
• Escape/avoid unwanted thoughts & feelings (experiential avoidance)
• Feel good

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 ACT for Beginners

• Get your needs met

• Gain attention
• Look good (to yourself or others)
• Feel like you are right and others are wrong
• Make sense (of life, the world, yourself, others etc.)

This doesn’t make one tool better than the other; it’s just to be noted as an important difference
between them. The other big difference is …

Overt & Covert Behaviors

Overt behavior = behavior potentially observable by others: physical actions, facial

expressions, words we write down or speak aloud. Suppose a video camera were to
magically appear out of thin air; if the behavior in question could be recorded on that
camera, it’s “overt”.
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 ACT for Beginners

Covert behavior = behavior that can only ever be directly observed by the person doing
it: thinking, remembering, analyzing, worrying, planning, imagining and so on. Suppose
a video camera were to magically appear out of thin air; if the behavior in question
could not be recorded on that camera, it’s “covert”.
So if I say my worries out aloud or write them down, that’s overt behaviour. But if I’m
silently worrying “inside my head” that’s covert behavior. However, if I pace up and
down or smoke a cigarette while I’m silently worrying, that pacing or smoking is overt
behavior.
The matrix visually separates overt behavior from covert behavior; overt goes above
the horizontal line, and covert goes below. The choice point doesn’t do this; alongside
the towards and away arrows, you can put overt behaviors or covert behaviors, or any
combination of both.
There are other differences too, but these are the main ones. The two tools should not
be viewed as “competitors”; they are fellow travelers with much in common 😊😊
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