Have you ever wondered why some emotional patterns seem to stick with us, despite our best efforts to change? In Schema Therapy, these deeply rooted patterns are known as Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS). There are 18 of these schemas, divided into five domains, and each represents an emotional wound from our past that affects how we see ourselves, others, and the world.
In this ultimate guide, we explore the five domains and 18 schemas in detail:
Disconnection & Rejection
Impaired Autonomy & Performance
Impaired Limits
Other-Directedness
Over-vigilance & Inhibition
If you’re new to Schema Therapy, it might help to read a brief introduction before diving into these schemas. By the end of this article, you'll understand what early maladaptive schemas are, how they develop, and how they influence your behavior and relationships.
What Are Early Maladaptive Schemas?
Schemas are deep-rooted patterns that incorporate our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. They often operate below our level of awareness but still influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Schemas can be either adaptive or maladaptive—they help us make sense of our experiences, but some schemas can become sources of pain and dysfunction.
Dr. Jeffrey Young, the creator of Schema Therapy, defined Early Maladaptive Schemas as follows:
“A broad, pervasive theme or pattern, comprised of memories, emotions, cognitions, and bodily sensations, regarding oneself and one’s relationships with others, developed during childhood or adolescence, elaborated throughout one’s lifetime, and dysfunctional to a significant degree.” (Young, Klosko, & Weishaar, 2003)
These schemas are like invisible filters through which we experience the world, often leading us to feel disconnected, rejected, or unable to meet our emotional needs.
How Do Maladaptive Schemas Develop in Childhood?
Schemas often form when our core emotional needs go unmet during childhood. According to Young, these five core emotional needs are:
Secure attachments (including safety, stability, nurturance, and acceptance)
Autonomy, competence, and identity
Freedom to express valid needs and emotions
Spontaneity and play
Realistic limits and self-control
When a child grows up in an environment where these needs are consistently unmet—due to neglect, overprotection, or abuse—they may develop one or more maladaptive schemas that stay with them throughout their lives.
The 18 Early Maladaptive Schemas
Schemas are grouped into five domains based on which core needs went unmet. Let’s take a look at each domain and the schemas within it.
Domain I: Disconnection & Rejection
This domain relates to a person’s inability to form secure attachments. Often, those with these schemas experienced unpredictable or abusive relationships during early childhood, which led to a lack of emotional security.
Abandonment: A constant fear of losing loved ones. Individuals with this schema are often clingy, needy, and find it difficult to be alone. Ironically, they may choose partners who cannot offer the stability they need.
Mistrust/Abuse: A belief that others will mistreat, deceive, or manipulate them. Those with this schema often distrust others and may avoid intimate relationships as a form of self-protection.
Emotional Deprivation: The belief that one’s emotional needs will never be met. Individuals often feel lonely and empty, and they may not even recognize their own need for care and affection.
Defectiveness/Shame: A pervasive sense of being flawed or not good enough. People with this schema often feel unworthy of love and fear that their flaws will be exposed if they get too close to others.
Social Isolation/Alienation: Feeling fundamentally different from others and as though they do not belong. This often results in avoiding social situations and a deep sense of loneliness.
Domain II: Impaired Autonomy & Performance
Schemas in this domain involve feelings of dependence, incompetence, or fear of failure. These beliefs often stem from overprotective parenting or a lack of encouragement during childhood.
Dependence/Incompetence: A belief that one cannot handle life without significant help from others.
Vulnerability to Harm or Illness: A constant fear that a catastrophe is about to happen, and the belief that one is unable to handle it.
Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self: Feeling overly connected to others, such as a parent, to the point of losing one’s own sense of identity.
Failure: The belief that one is incapable of achieving success in life, often leading to self-sabotage.
Domain III: Impaired Limits
People with schemas in this domain may struggle with setting boundaries, leading to impulsivity, lack of responsibility, or grandiosity.
Entitlement/Grandiosity: A belief that one is superior to others and does not need to follow the same rules.
Insufficient Self-Control/Self-Discipline: Difficulty managing impulses, leading to disorganized behavior and difficulties in long-term goal achievement.
Domain IV: Other-Directedness
Schemas in this domain focus on placing others’ needs before one’s own in order to gain approval or avoid conflict.
Subjugation: The belief that one’s needs and opinions are not important and must be suppressed to avoid negative consequences.
Self-Sacrifice: A tendency to put others’ needs first, often leading to resentment and burnout.
Approval-Seeking/Recognition-Seeking: A need to gain approval from others to maintain self-worth, often resulting in superficial relationships and a lack of personal fulfillment.
Domain V: Over-vigilance & Inhibition
These schemas involve the suppression of spontaneous emotions, needs, or impulses, often due to rigid internalized standards.
Negativity/Pessimism: A focus on the negative aspects of life, accompanied by chronic worry and anxiety.
Emotional Inhibition: Suppressing one’s emotions and avoiding emotional expression out of fear of negative outcomes.
Unrelenting Standards/Hypercriticalness: Striving to meet extremely high standards, often leading to anxiety, frustration, and burnout.
Punitiveness: The belief that people, including oneself, deserve harsh punishment for making mistakes, often resulting in a lack of compassion.
Healing Maladaptive Schemas
Schema Therapy offers a path to healing by exploring and addressing these deeply embedded beliefs. Unlike more traditional cognitive-behavioral approaches, Schema Therapy emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship in reparenting and meeting unmet emotional needs. The journey to healing involves understanding the origins of your schemas and learning how to reframe them in a healthier way.
Ready to Learn More?
If you’re interested in diving deeper into Schema Therapy or exploring your own schemas, consider taking a Maladaptive Daydreaming Test or following resources like The Attachment Project on Instagram. Understanding your schemas is the first step to transforming these deeply ingrained patterns into healthier ways of being.
Follow @AttachmentProject on Instagram for more insights on relationships and emotional well-being.
This blog post is based on the work of Dr. Jeffrey Young and his colleagues. For more detailed information, refer to Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. E. (2003) Schema Therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
Taken from an article posted on attachmentproject.org
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