Psychology Provide a Brief Statement That Clearly

Psychology

Provide a brief statement that clearly defines the term: Schema; and, an explanation of how they are developed.

A schema is a cognitive pattern or structure comprised of beliefs and perceptions. Worldview is a type of schema, which can be formed by cultural cues, family socialization, and identity. Schemas can change over time, and they can be helpful for organizing the complex world. Some schemas are helpful in that they anchor the mind and emotions in the midst of an overwhelming amount of information and stimuli in the environment. However, schemas can easily become maladaptive. Examples of how schemas become maladaptive are most noticeable with regards to stereotyping, biases, and paranoia. Abuse and trauma can significantly and adversely impact an individual's schemata. Conflicting schemata can also lead to experiences of cognitive dissonance or confused identity.

Statement of how the themes that are evident in the client's presenting problems contribute to the client's level of distress. Identify two Schema Domain (Young, 1998) that are evident in the client's presentation.

Jordan's "severe separation anxiety" stemmed from infancy. This indicates that Jordan was from the start developing a maladaptive schema rooted in the domain of Abandonment/Instability. Jordan was also difficult to comfort, and irritable, which Young (1998) frames as part of the Abandonment/Instability domain. The early formative experiences in Jordan's life were not addressed or mitigated. Therefore, when Jordan reached puberty, her traits became even more pronounced. She started to yell at adults, and also engaged in types of impulsive behaviors that were potentially destructive to self or others. Impulsive behaviors can generally be grouped under the Schema Domain of Insufficient Self-Control/Self-Discipline. For example, she ran away from home. Jordan had trouble maintaining friendships. She would claim that no one understood her, and she was bored. Emotional instability and intense rage characterized Jordan's self-expression throughout her middle to late adolescence. She also exhibits a high degree of enmeshment, as her sense of self is weak enough that Jordan's behaviors culminated in self-mutilation.

Part III: Statement of how the identified themes (2) can be conceptualized, supported and explained by Young's Theory on Early Maladaptive Schema.

Young's (1998) theory of early maladaptive schema illustrate the ways these themes of Abandonment/Instability and Insufficient Self-Control/Self-Discipline can be conceptualized. Conceptualizing these schema will in turn help therapists understand Jordan and help Jordan understand herself. As for Abandonment/Instability, Young (1998) states that it "involves the sense that significant others will not be able to continue providing emotional support, connection, strength, or practical protection because they are emotionally unstable and unpredictable," (p. 12). These are simply emotional perceptions, developed in Jordan's case in infancy. Because her issues related to abandonment and instability were unresolved, the schema was able to anchor itself in Jordan's consciousness.