Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is the co-director of the ACT Research Group, a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah, and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University.
In this episode, I chat with Michael about his research on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on perfectionism and, in particular, one of the papers published in his lab: A randomized controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinical perfectionism (2019).
In this study, over 50 individuals participated in a 10-week treatment protocol that targeted clinical perfectionism.
We chatted about the neurological screenings participants completed, the challenging moments of participants being attached to rules about how things are supposed to be, and how distinguishing helpful versus unhelpful perfectionistic actions is introduced in the study.
You will hear Michael sharing one of his favorite metaphors to facilitate behavioral flexibility.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- The struggle with unhelpful or clinical perfectionism
- The study of act-based treatment for unhelpful perfectionism
- Challenges faced by perfectionists
- The different types of act strategies
- The mind’s role and psychological flexibility
- Handling self-criticism
- The study outcomes of act-based treatment
About Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D.
Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D., is well known for his work in ACT and OCD, which is closely related to perfectionism. Twohig is a professor in the psychology department at Utah State University. He is the past president of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and a current member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). He has written more than 170 peer-reviewed publications, seven books, and has received funding from many organizations, including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Resources
- Randy Frost, Clarissa Ong, and Michael Twohig’s book on perfectionism: “The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.”
- Michael’s Lab website: https://www.utahact.com/
- Ong CW, Lee EB, Krafft J, Terry CL, Barrett TS, Levin ME, Twohig MP. A randomized controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinical perfectionism Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. 22: 100444. DOI: 10.1016/J.Jocrd.2019.100444
Resources from Dr. Z’s
- ACT for perfectionistic and high achieving actions
- Dr. Z on Perfectionism (part 1) Listen on Apple | Spotify
- Dr. Z on Perfectionism (part 2) Listen on Apple | Spotify
- Dr. Z on Perfectionism (part 3) Listen on Apple | Spotify
- Dr. Z on Perfectionism (part 4) Listen on Apple | Spotify
- Dr. Z on Perfectionism (part 5) Listen on Apple | Spotify
