Experiential Avoidance Test (BEAQ)

The IDRlabs Experiential Avoidance Test was developed by IDRlabs, based on the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ).

Experiential avoidance is the tendency to avoid or escape from unwanted internal experiences, such as difficult emotions, distressing thoughts, painful memories, or uncomfortable physical sensations (Gámez et al., 2014). While avoidance may provide short-term relief, it often leads to long-term challenges by interfering with an individual’s ability to engage meaningfully in life. This pattern of avoidance can exacerbate psychological distress and hinder personal growth.

This behavior contrasts with psychological flexibility, which involves the ability to stay open to and accept internal experiences, even when they are unpleasant or uncomfortable. Psychological flexibility allows individuals to experience their emotions, thoughts, or sensations without attempting to suppress or escape them, enabling them to act in alignment with their values and goals. In contrast, experiential avoidance can lead to a rigid focus on eliminating discomfort at the expense of pursuing meaningful activities.

Interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aim to address experiential avoidance by cultivating psychological flexibility. ACT encourages individuals to accept and tolerate discomfort while maintaining commitment to behaviors that align with their values. This approach reduces the reliance on avoidance strategies and helps individuals build resilience when faced with challenging internal experiences.

Experiential avoidance is often linked to various psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, where individuals attempt to suppress or escape negative experiences. This avoidance, however, can perpetuate a cycle of distress by reinforcing the idea that certain emotions or thoughts are intolerable. Over time, this can lead to diminished well-being and restricted engagement in life’s activities.

By targeting experiential avoidance, interventions like ACT help individuals shift their focus from controlling or avoiding distress to accepting it as part of the human experience. This acceptance allows individuals to navigate challenges while remaining connected to their values, ultimately fostering a more fulfilling and purposeful life.

As the publishers of this free test, which allows you to screen yourself for experiential avoidance, we have strived to make the test as reliable and valid as possible by subjecting this test to statistical controls and validation. However, free online quizzes such as the present test do not provide professional assessments or recommendations of any kind; the test is provided entirely “as-is.” For more information about any of our online tests and quizzes, please consult our Terms of Service.