Early maladaptive schemas

Schmidt, N. B., Joiner, T. E., Young, J., St Telch, M. J. (1995). The Schema Questionnaire Investigation of psychometric properties and the hierarchical structure of a measure of early maladaptive schemas. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 19, 295-321. 

Toxic early childhood experiences Early maladaptive schema... 

Work dysfunction Underlying early maladaptive schema Coping style... 

Rittenmeyer, G. J. (1997). The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and job burnout among public school teachers. Dissertation Abstracts International 58 5-A, 1529. 

Young et al. (2003 14-17) identify 18 early maladaptive schemata (EMS) in five schema domains. Briefly summarized, these are ... 

The model presented in Figure 12.2 integrates the dynamic schema model developed by Price (2002) with the traditional Beckian model of stress (Beck 1987 Beck et al. 1985) outlined in Chapter 1 and Young s schema-focused model (Young et al. 2003) presented earlier in this chapter. The model places particular emphasis on the re-enactment of early maladaptive schemata (EMS) and behavioural coping strategies in the context of the workplace in the causation and maintenance of occupational stress. 

Schemata are formed through early life experiences. If the individual has had a healthy and stable early environment, then these schemata are likely to be equally healthy and adaptive. However, if the individual has experienced toxic early environmental life experiences, for example abuse or trauma, or not having their physical and/or core emotional needs reliably met, then these schemata are very likely to be unhealthy and maladaptive ones. In a non-threatened state (non-stressed), these schemata are dormant and inactive but they are reactivated by specific stressful events, which thematically resemble the adverse earlier experiences upon which the schemata are based. For example, if the individual experienced significant rejection in childhood, he or she will be particularly sensitive to situations or events that signal rejection. Thus, a situation signalling rejection to this individual will result in hyper-activation of that particular schema. These specific sensitivities or vulnerabilities refer to an individual s propensity to over-react to certain highly specific situations in an idiosyncratic way determined by the underlying schemata (Saul 1947).

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