LIST OF SCHEMAS
Emotional Deprivation: The belief and expectation
that the primary needs will never be met. The sense that no one will nurture, care for, guide, protect or empathise with you.
Abandonment: The belief and expectation that
others will leave, that others are unreliable, that relationships are fragile, that loss is inevitable, and that you will
end up alone.
Mistrust / Abuse: The belief that others are
abusive, manipulative, selfish or looking to hurt or use you. Others are not to be trusted.
Defectiveness: The belief that you are flawed,
damaged or unlovable, and you will be rejected.
Social Isolation: The pervasive sense of aloneness,
coupled with a feeling of alienation.
Vulnerability: The sense that the world is
a dangerous place, that disaster can happen at any time, and that you will be overwhelmed by the challenges which lie ahead.
Dependence / Incompetence: The belief that
you are unable to effectively make your own decisions, that your judgement is questionable, and that you need to rely on others
to help get you through day-to-day responsibilities.
Enmeshment / Underdeveloped Self: The sense
that you do not have an identity or “individuated self” that is separate from one or more significant others.
Failure: The expectation that you will fail,
or believe that you cannot perform well enough.
Subjugation: The belief that you must submit
to the control of others, or else punishment or rejection will be forthcoming.
Self-Sacrifice: The belief that you should
voluntarily give up your own needs for the sake of others, usually to a point which is excessive.
Approval-seeking / Recognition-seeking: The
sense that approval, attention and recognition are far more important than genuine self-expression and being true to oneself.
Emotional Inhibition: The belief that you
must control your self-expression or others will reject or criticise you.
Negativity / Pessimism: The pervasive belief
that that the negative aspects of life outweigh the positive, along with negative expectations of the future.
Unrelenting Standards: The belief that you
need to be the best, always striving for perfection or to avoid mistakes.
Punitiveness: The belief that people should
be harshly punished for their mistakes or shortcomings.
Entitlement / Grandiosity: The sense that
you are special or more important than others, and that you do not have to follow the rules like other people even though
it may have a negative effect on others. Also can manifest in an exaggerated focus on superiority for the purpose of having
power or control.
Insufficient Self-Control / Self-Discipline:
The sense that you cannot accomplish your goals, especially if the process contains boring, repetitive, or frustrating aspects
Also, that you cannot resist acting upon impulses that lead to detrimental results.
There are reported to be three
basic coping styles which are processes that overlap with the psychoanalytical concepts of resistance and defence mechanisms:
Schema
surrender – everything the person does to keep the schema going, by remaining
in the situation and doing things to keep the schema going, e.g. if someone has a defectiveness schema and they stay in a
relationship with someone who has criticised them, they are surrendering to the schema, they are staying in the situation
but allowing themselves to be criticised thus enhancing the schema.
Schema
avoidance is avoiding the schema either by avoiding situations that trigger
the schema or by psychologically removing yourself from the situation so you don’t have to feel the schema. An example
of avoidance might be the person with a mistrust schema who avoids making friendships because of the fear of being hurt or
taken advantage of. This action only tends to reinforce the belief when others pick up the coolness and distance themselves.
Schema
overcompensation is an excessive attempt to fight the schema by trying to do
the opposite of what the schema would tell you to do. So if someone has a subjugation schema, they might rebel against
the people who are subjugating them. If the overcompensation is too extreme it ultimately backfires and reinforces the schema.
A form of overcompensation is externalising the schema, by blaming others and becoming aggressive. Another way can be achieving
at a very high level, whereby, a person who feels defective works 80 hours a week to overcompensate
The Schema-Focused model of treatment is
designed to help people break these maladaptive coping styles which perpetuate negative patterns of thinking, feeling and
behaving, so that individuals can get their core needs met.