Schema Therapy

Schemas are emotional beliefs/memories/predictions about self and world.

In this article, we offer our definitions to the 18 early maladaptive schemas and our hypotheses on how they relate to the attachment styles.

Most schemas will be categorized in terms of the dismissing/preoccupied dichotomy.

Note that disorganized attachment implies both dismissing and preoccupied components. For that reason, all of the schemas can be found in disorganized attachment. However, the Mistrust/Abuse schema stands out as a defining schema of the disorganized attachment style.