This article presents an evolutionary framework for understanding and expanding Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The chapter argues that psychological health can be conceptualized in terms of increasing behavioral versatility—the capacity to adapt effectively across changing environmental demands while remaining connected to meaningful patterns of action. Drawing from evolutionary science, the authors propose the VRSCDL model as a way of organizing key dimensions of adaptive functioning: variation, retention, selection, context sensitivity, development, and levels of organization. Rather than treating psychopathology as the presence of static disorders or deficits, the chapter frames human suffering as patterns of behavioral rigidity that interfere with flexible adaptation and valued living. The authors argue that ACT already implicitly operates within an evolutionary framework because its core processes—acceptance, defusion, present-moment awareness, values, and committed action—help individuals become more behaviorally flexible in response to complex environmental contexts.
Related Domains: Committed Action, Complex Verbal Behavior
Citations: Hayes, S. C., Stanton, C. E., Sanford, B. T., Law, S., & Ta, J. (2019). Becoming more versatile (VRSCDL): Using evolutionary science to suggest innovations in ACT. In Levin, M. E., Twohig, M. P., & Krafft, J. (Eds), Innovations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Clinical advancements and applications in ACT. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.