schema therapy

Early Maladaptive Schemas

The most basic concept in Schema Therapy is an Early Maladaptive Schema. We define schemas as: "broad, pervasive themes regarding oneself and one's relationship with others, developed during childhood and elaborated throughout one's lifetime, and dysfunctional to a significant degree."

Schemas develop in childhood from an interplay between the child's innate temperament, and the child's ongoing damaging experiences with parents, siblings, or peers.

(By George Lockwood, posted on on Dec 21, 2008)

Chapter 1

The History of Schema Therapy

Jeffrey Young, Ph.D. began developing schema therapy in the mid-80s in an effort to help patients with chronic characterological problems that were not being adequately helped with traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy. Techniques and concepts from a broad range of psychotherapeutic approaches were integrated into a unifying framework with the aim of synergistically combining the strengths of each.