In schema therapy, there are 18 specific early maladaptive schemas that are grouped into five broad categories called schema domains. These schema domains represent important components of a child’s core needs. These schemas are patterns of thought and behavior that develop in childhood when basic needs are not met.
- Disconnection and Rejection:
- Abandonment/Instability
- Mistrust/Abuse
- Emotional Deprivation
- Defectiveness/Shame
- Social Isolation/Alienation
- Impaired Autonomy and Performance:
- Dependence/Incompetence
- Vulnerability to Harm or Illness
- Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self
- Failure
- Impaired Limits:
- Entitlement/Grandiosity
- Insufficient Self-Control/Self-Discipline
- Other-Directedness:
- Subjugation
- Self-Sacrifice
- Approval-Seeking/Recognition-Seeking
- Over-Vigilance and Inhibition:
- Negativity/Pessimism
- Emotional Inhibition
- Unrelenting Standards/Hypercriticalness
- Punitiveness
