"We as a culture seem to be dedicated to the idea that ‘negative’ human emotions need to be fixed, managed, or changed—not experienced as part of a whole life. We are treating our own lives as problems to be solved as if we can sort through our experiences for the ones we like and throw out the rest," - Steven Hayes

Steven Hayes developed ACT in the 1980s to counter the idea that our goal in psychology should be to control and suppress distressing emotions. In fact, he argued the suppression of these feelings is ultimately what leads to more distress. ACT encourages people to address their distressing emotions by accepting all of our emotions as normal, honoring our thoughts and emotions without judgment, adhering to our values, and committing to our goals/actions.