The development of anger management program based on acceptance and commitment therapy for youth taekwondo players

This study aimed to develop an intervention program based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for youth taekwondo players. Eight sessions of the ACT program were provided to nine youth taekwondo players. The content analysis was conducted for the activities, activity sheets, assignments, and program evaluations. First of all, the results showed that the ACT program changed the participants’ diverse psychological inflexibility a flexible and value-oriented state, which was supported by their positive mood changes after each session. Secondly, ‘walking meditation,’ ‘a bus driver and a passenger role play,’ and ‘writing a letter to the self’ were positively evaluated according to the analysis on the feedbacks and evaluations on each session and activity. Lastly, overall evaluation on the ACT program indicated that there were changes in a positive attitude, thoughts, and feelings (anger and irritation) toward taekwondo. The most memorable activities were ‘eating meditation,’ ‘breath-counting meditation,’ and ‘welcoming the beggar’ exercise. These results suggest that an intervention program based on the ACT may have a positive impact on anger management for youth.