Schema Therapy
Aristotle once said, “Give me a child until he is 7, and I will show you the man.” This quote shows the lasting impact of our early experiences on the development of our core beliefs, otherwise known as schema, that travel with us into adulthood. These early experiences, and the beliefs they create, are central to the psychological approach known as schema therapy, developed by Jeffrey Young.
At its core, schema therapy is a helpful tool for understanding and healing the wounds that come from unmet needs in childhood. As Young explains in Reinventing Your Life, negative core beliefs develop when our core emotional needs are not adequately met during childhood. These include the desire for:
Attachment: To be heard, understood, validated - and made to feel safe and secure.
Freedom: To be allowed to express your feelings and thoughts - and to make choices.
Autonomy: To be allowed independence, growth and to gain constructive feedback.
Spontaneity: To have fun, and to show self-expression, exploration and creativity.
Boundaries: To learn self-discipline, and to take responsibility for your actions.
Early Experiences and Core Beliefs
To understand schema therapy, it’s essential to appreciate how core beliefs are formed. A modern portrayal of this process can be seen in Inside Out 2, the animated film that explores how emotions and memories shape our internal worlds. In the film, key emotional experiences create “core memories” that form the foundation of Riley’s world view. These core memories act as emotional touchstones that influence how she responds to new experiences. Similarly, our early emotional experiences, especially in our relationships with caregivers, contribute to the formation of core beliefs—about ourselves, other people, and the world.
For example, a child who grows up feeling abandoned or neglected may form the core belief that they are unlovable or unworthy of affection. This belief, like the core memories in Inside Out 2, becomes a central part of their being shaping their future relationships and experiences. When these core beliefs are maladaptive or negative, they can create enduring pain, which is where schema therapy comes in.
What is Schema Therapy?
Schema therapy was developed to address the deep-seated patterns of thinking and feeling that traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) often cannot fully resolve. It combines elements of CBT with attachment theory, experiential therapy, and psychodynamic approaches to help individuals identify and change maladaptive schemas.
Young identifies 18 core schemas that commonly affect individuals. These include:
• Abandonment: The fear that those we love will leave us.
• Mistrust: The belief that others will hurt, betray, or manipulate us.
• Emotional Deprivation: The feeling that our emotional needs will never be met by others.
• Defectiveness: The belief that we are fundamentally flawed or unworthy of love.
• Social isolation:The feeling that we are isolated from the rest of the world
• Unrelenting standards: The belief that we must strive to meet excessively high standards, usually to avoid criticism
• Approval seeking: Emphasis on gaining approval, recognition, or attention from other people, or fitting in, at the expense of yourself.
• Pessimism: A pervasive, lifelong focus on the negative aspects of life (pain, loss, disappointment, conflict, guilt, resentment, unsolved problems)
• Emotional inhibition: The excessive inhibition of feelings, or bevahiour - usually to avoid disapproval by others.
These schemas are often deeply ingrained and can lead to a cycle of self-defeating behaviours. For example, someone with an Abandonment schema might become overly clingy in relationships, pushing people away and perpetuating the very fear of abandonment that drives them.
How Schema Therapy Helps
Schema therapy is designed to help individuals break free from these maladaptive patterns by addressing the underlying schemas and providing healthier ways to meet emotional needs. The therapeutic process involves several key components:
1. Identifying Maladaptive Schemas: The first step in schema therapy is recognising the core schemas that are driving dysfunctional behavior. Often, these schemas operate unconsciously, so therapy helps bring them into awareness. As Young explains, “we select people or situations that reinforce our schemas, often without realizing it.” This recognition is essential to breaking the cycle.
2. Emotional Awareness and Experiential Techniques: Once schemas are identified, schema therapy employs techniques to access the emotions associated with these early experiences. One powerful technique is imagery re-scripting, in which the therapist guides the patient to revisit childhood memories and “re-script” them with healthier responses. For example, a patient with a Defectiveness schema might imagine receiving love and acceptance from a caregiver, helping to heal the emotional wound that drives the schema.
3. Re-parenting: Schema therapy also emphasises the concept of limited re-parenting, where the therapist helps the patient experience the emotional support they lacked in childhood. This process helps the patient learn how to meet their own emotional needs in healthier ways, rather than relying on self-defeating patterns.
4. Behavioural Change: Finally, schema therapy focuses on changing the behaviours that reinforce maladaptive schemas. This might involve setting healthier boundaries in relationships, practicing self-compassion, or challenging the negative beliefs that underlie the schema.
Young notes that “changing our schemas involves feeling emotions that we have been avoiding for a long time. It means confronting painful experiences, but also learning that we can survive these feelings and eventually let them go.” This process allows individuals to break free from the past and create a more fulfilling, balanced life.
For example, a client with a Mistrust/Abuse schema may, as an adult, expect betrayal in all relationships, leading them to be guarded or to avoid intimacy. Through therapy, this client can identify their schema, process the painful emotions associated with it, and learn to build trust.
Conclusion
Schema therapy offers a comprehensive approach to understanding how our early experiences shape our core beliefs and influence our adult lives. As Aristotle suggested, the experiences of our early years lay the foundation for the person we become. By addressing the unmet needs and emotional wounds of childhood, schema therapy helps us break free from maladaptive patterns and cultivate a healthier, more fulfilling way of living.