Dominance of outmoded personal scripts is one of the six core processes identified by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) theory that contribute to psychological inflexibility and getting stuck.

Personal scripts are like segments of dialogue in a movie. You have personal scripts related to every facet of your conceptualized self. Each personal script relates to a scene in the movie that is your life and is always learned in a specific context of time and space. This context is referred to in the ACT literature as the relational frame in which the personal script was developed. This original relational frame can become outmoded and contribute to psychological inflexibility and getting stuck. A personal script becomes outmoded when it no longer represents your conceptualized self and ceases to be helpful in meeting your values-based goals. You can get stuck when you feel trapped and controlled by outmoded scripts that no longer represent who you really are.

Let me use an example from human sexuality to illustrate this. You have many personal scripts related to your sexuality. They may be related to your gender role, sexual identity, or sexual behavior. In many cultures men and women are raised to be good girls or good boys. Good girls and good boys are generally raised to be nice to everyone, put others first, and above all, to please others. Good girls and good boys are brought up to be modest, chaste, and pure. They are taught to suppress their sexuality in their clothing, adornment, speech, and behavior. While being nice to others and putting others first are admirable traits, people who are raised to be good girls and good boys often struggle with their sexual identities.

For example, imagine that you were raised to be a good girl or a good boy. Throughout your childhood and adolescence you were taught to suppress your sexual urges. Sex was a taboo subject at the dinner table and by its omission you sensed that all things of a sexual nature were to be suppressed. As an adult, you now find that your views about your sexuality have changed over the years. Through direct experience and personal reflection you have created new relational frames about your sexuality. You now see yourself as a sexual being with needs, desires, and fantasies, and someone who finds sex to be a very important part of your life. Despite this, you still struggle with your sexuality because of the dominance of your outmoded personal sexual scripts and past learning. When you are in a sexual encounter your mind ruminates on these outmoded sexual scripts and you find it difficult to relax and enjoy sex. You get stuck on your outmoded personal sexual scripts and are unable to transcend your upbringing as a good guy or good girl.

On top of that, it seems that the more you try to avoid, eliminate and control your unhelpful and outmoded sexual thoughts and personal scripts, the more troublesome they become. ACT research has shown that the more you focus on trying to control, avoid, or eliminate troubling thoughts and painful emotions, the worse they become. The best way to deal with outmoded personal scripts is to acknowledge their presence, accept them for what they are (unhelpful, outdated versions of your conceptualized self), and shift your focus off of them and onto productive behavior.