Schema Conceptualisation - Schema Therapy - Schema modes map

Summary

Clinical psychologist Jess O'Garr introduces Schema Therapy, explaining schemas as mental blueprints organizing information. She discusses maladaptive schemas formed from childhood unmet needs and the 'modes' within us, including the Vulnerable Child and Angry Child modes. O'Garr elaborates on coping strategies like Fight, Flight, and Freeze, and their corresponding modes, emphasizing the importance of developing a Healthy Adult mode to manage these responses. She also touches on the concept of re-parenting to reintroduce positive experiences and foster healthier modes.

Takeaways

• 📚 Schema Therapy is based on the concept of schemas, which are like blueprints for how we organize information and understand the world around us.
• 👶 The 'Vulnerable Child' mode is central to Schema Therapy and represents the part of us that feels fear, shame, and worry, and is always present regardless of age.
• 😠 The 'Angry Child' mode is linked to the Vulnerable Child and represents the reaction of a child who is not getting their needs met and tries to draw attention to their distress.
• 🛡️ Coping strategies such as Fight, Flight, and Freeze are innate responses to threats, both physical and psychological, and have corresponding modes in Schema Therapy.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The 'Perfectionistic Overcompensator' is a fight strategy that tries to protect from vulnerability by striving for perfection and can lead to burnout.
• 🗣️ 'Bully-Attack' is another fight strategy where individuals deflect criticism by aggressively focusing on others' faults.
• 💡 'Self-Aggrandising' is a narcissistic defense that hides vulnerability by constantly promoting oneself as superior and without fault.
• 🕵️‍♂️ 'Suspicious Overcontroller' is characterized by a controlling behavior stemming from a fear of negative outcomes and a lack of trust in others.
• 🚶‍♂️ 'Detached Protector' is a flight strategy that involves psychological avoidance by emotionally disconnecting from situations to protect oneself from vulnerability.
• 🚫 'Avoidant Protector' is a more physical form of flight, where individuals avoid situations entirely to prevent potential distress.
• 🎭 'Compliant Surrender' represents a freeze strategy where an individual gives up and accepts their perceived failure or negative outcome without resistance.

Q & A

What is Schema Therapy and how does it differ from other therapeutic models?

Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that focuses on early life experiences and unmet needs leading to the development of maladaptive schemas. It differs by addressing these schemas through the concept of 'modes', which are like different characters within an individual that respond to situations based on past experiences.

What are schemas and how do they form?

Schemas are deep-seated patterns of behavior and thought that form from early life experiences. They act as blueprints for organizing information and understanding the world. Maladaptive schemas develop when childhood needs are unmet.

Can you explain the concept of 'modes' in Schema Therapy?

In Schema Therapy, 'modes' are various states or 'characters' within an individual that respond to life situations. They include the Vulnerable Child, Angry Child, and coping strategies like Fight, Flight, and Freeze, which are adaptations to early unmet needs.

What is the significance of the 'Vulnerable Child' mode?

The 'Vulnerable Child' mode is central to Schema Therapy. It represents the part of an individual that feels fear, shame, and worry, and is the source of distress when triggered. It is the inner child that never leaves us, regardless of age.

How does the 'Angry Child' mode relate to the 'Vulnerable Child' mode?

The 'Angry Child' mode is an extension of the 'Vulnerable Child' mode. It is the response to unmet needs where the child, feeling powerless, expresses anger to draw attention to their distress in an attempt to get their needs met.

What are the three primary coping strategies in Schema Therapy and why are they important?

The three primary coping strategies are Fight, Flight, and Freeze. They are important because they represent the innate responses to threats, both physical and psychological, and form the basis for more complex coping 'modes' that develop over time.

Can you provide an example of a coping strategy from the 'Fight' category?

An example of a 'Fight' coping strategy is the 'Perfectionistic Overcompensator' mode. This mode involves striving for perfection in tasks to avoid feelings of vulnerability and to deflect any potential criticism or threat.

What is the 'Demanding Parent' mode and how does it differ from the 'Punitive Parent' mode?

The 'Demanding Parent' mode is a type of dysfunctional parent mode that pushes for constant improvement and perfection, often resulting in stress and unrealistic expectations. It differs from the 'Punitive Parent' mode, which is more focused on criticism and putting down the individual.

How does Schema Therapy address the issue of maladaptive coping modes in adults?

Schema Therapy addresses maladaptive coping modes by reintroducing positive experiences and teaching new, healthier ways to respond to threats. It encourages the development of the 'Healthy Adult' mode, which can manage the other modes more effectively.

What is the role of the 'Healthy Adult' mode in Schema Therapy?

The 'Healthy Adult' mode is the part of an individual that is capable of making mature, balanced decisions. It is not innate but develops over time with good education and role models. In therapy, it is the mode that learns to manage the other modes and make healthier choices.

How can the 'Happy Child' mode contribute to a person's overall well-being?

The 'Happy Child' mode represents the part of an individual that experiences fun, play, and joy. It is a healthy mode that provides a balance to the 'Vulnerable Child' mode and contributes to a person's happiness and overall well-being.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Schema Therapy

Jess O'Garr, a clinical psychologist, introduces the concept of schema therapy, a model based on the work of Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw. The video aims to explain the different modes of schema therapy and how they interrelate. Schemas are described as blueprints for organizing information and understanding the world, with maladaptive schemas developing from unmet childhood needs. The focus is on schema modes, with the 'Vulnerable Child' mode at the center of schema therapy, representing our inherent vulnerability that persists into adulthood.

05:04

🧒 The Child Modes and Coping Strategies

The script discusses the 'Angry Child' mode, which is a response to unmet needs and a way to draw attention to the vulnerable child within us. It also outlines the human response strategies of Fight, Flight, and Freeze, which are innate and serve as coping mechanisms to protect us from threats. These strategies are further detailed into specific modes such as the 'Perfectionistic Overcompensator' and 'Bully-Attack,' which are fight responses, and their implications on behavior and psychological well-being.

10:05

🤬 Dysfunctional Coping Modes and Parent Modes

This paragraph delves into various dysfunctional coping modes such as 'Self-Aggrandising,' 'Suspicious Overcontroller,' and 'Angry Protector,' each representing different strategies to deal with vulnerability and perceived threats. Additionally, it introduces 'Punitive Parent' and 'Demanding Parent' modes, which are internalized critical voices stemming from negative experiences or influences during childhood, impacting self-perception and emotional regulation.

15:09

🚶‍♂️ Flight and Freeze Strategies in Schema Therapy

The script explains the 'Flight' strategies, including 'Detached Protector,' 'Avoidant Protector,' and 'Angry Protector,' which are mechanisms to avoid confronting vulnerability. It also touches on 'Freeze' strategies, represented by 'Complaint Surrender,' where individuals give in to their circumstances due to exhaustion of other coping strategies. These modes are examined in the context of their impact on an individual's ability to manage emotional distress.

20:13

🌟 The Development of Healthy Modes

The paragraph highlights the importance of developing 'Healthy Adult' and 'Happy Child' modes in schema therapy. The 'Healthy Adult' mode is crucial for making mature decisions and managing the various schema modes, while the 'Happy Child' mode allows for play and fun, balancing the vulnerability experienced in the 'Vulnerable Child' mode. The development of these modes is essential for emotional well-being and is often cultivated through positive experiences and role modeling.

25:14

🛠️ Schema Therapy Strategies for Mode Management

The final paragraph outlines therapeutic strategies for managing the various schema modes. It emphasizes the importance of soothing the 'Vulnerable Child,' validating the 'Angry Child,' and being selective with coping modes. For the 'Punitive Parent' mode, the strategy is to banish its negative influence, while for the 'Demanding Parent' mode, negotiation is key. The goal is to develop and flourish the 'Healthy Adult' mode and encourage the expression of the 'Happy Child' mode through play and enjoyment.

Keywords

💡Schema Therapy

Schema Therapy is a psychological treatment that focuses on early life experiences and their impact on the development of maladaptive schemas. In the video, it's described as a model that organizes information and behaviors into 'modes', which are patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting that can be traced back to childhood experiences. The script explains that unmet needs in childhood can lead to the development of maladaptive schemas, which are central to understanding the therapeutic approach.

💡Schemas

Schemas, in the context of the video, are defined as blueprint-like mental structures that help individuals organize information and experiences. They are compared to a mind map within the brain that categorizes and sorts information. The script mentions that everyone has schemas, which are essential for developing an understanding of the world, but maladaptive schemas can arise from childhood experiences where needs were not met.

💡Vulnerable Child Mode

The 'Vulnerable Child Mode' is a central concept in Schema Therapy discussed in the video. It represents the part of an individual that retains a sense of vulnerability, fear, and emotional sensitivity from childhood. The script explains that this mode is the source of distress when triggered and is the focus of therapeutic intervention in Schema Therapy.

💡Angry Child Mode

The 'Angry Child Mode' is one of the child modes in Schema Therapy, which is linked to the 'Vulnerable Child Mode'. As described in the script, it is an expression of anger that arises from unmet emotional needs in childhood, often as an attempt to draw attention to the child's distress. The Angry Child Mode is depicted as a natural response to neglect or inattention from caregivers.

💡Coping Strategies

Coping strategies in the video are the Fight, Flight, and Freeze responses that humans are born with to deal with threats. These strategies are hardwired and develop over time. The script explains that in Schema Therapy, these strategies are seen as modes that protect the 'Vulnerable Child' and can become maladaptive in adulthood if not managed properly.

💡Perfectionistic Overcompensator

The 'Perfectionistic Overcompensator' is a coping mode described in the video as a psychological fight strategy. It involves striving for perfection to protect oneself from feelings of vulnerability. The script gives an example of how this mode can manifest in the workplace, leading to behaviors that may appear functional but are unsustainable and can result in burnout.

💡Bully-Attack Mode

The 'Bully-Attack Mode' is another fight strategy in Schema Therapy, which is characterized by aggressive behavior aimed at deflecting attention away from one's own vulnerabilities. The script illustrates this mode with an example of how someone might respond to criticism by attacking the critic, thereby shifting the focus onto the other person's faults.

💡Self-Aggrandising Mode

The 'Self-Aggrandising Mode' is a coping strategy where an individual overemphasizes their positive qualities to hide their vulnerabilities. It is similar to a narcissistic defense mechanism, as explained in the script. People in this mode may come across as having a big ego and being overly self-promotional, but underneath, they may be very scared and vulnerable.

💡Detached Protector Mode

The 'Detached Protector Mode' is a form of psychological flight described in the video. It involves a psychological shutdown where an individual may be physically present but emotionally disconnected. The script explains that this mode is a way of avoiding contact with the 'Vulnerable Child' by numbing emotions in situations that are perceived as threatening.

💡Compliant Surrender Mode

The 'Compliant Surrender Mode' is a freeze strategy in Schema Therapy, which is characterized by giving up in the face of perceived threats or challenges. The script describes this mode as a final line of defense when an individual feels they have no fight or flight left, leading to a sense of resignation and acceptance of failure or negative outcomes.

💡Healthy Adult Mode

The 'Healthy Adult Mode' is a positive mode in Schema Therapy that represents the part of an individual capable of making mature, rational decisions. The script explains that this mode is not innate but needs to be developed over time with good education and role models. It is the part of the individual that can manage the other modes and make healthy choices.

💡Happy Child Mode

The 'Happy Child Mode' is a positive child mode in Schema Therapy that embodies fun, play, and enjoyment. The script emphasizes the importance of this mode for maintaining a sense of happiness and balance in life. It is a mode that may not have been fully developed in childhood due to lack of opportunity or may be suppressed in adulthood due to societal expectations of seriousness.

💡Re-parenting

In the context of the video, 'Re-parenting' is a concept in Schema Therapy where the therapist takes on the role of a 'good parent' to help the patient develop healthy modes and manage maladaptive ones. The script explains that this process involves teaching new ways to respond to threats and providing positive experiences to counteract the negative ones from childhood.

Highlights

Schema therapy is based on the concept of schemas as blueprints for organizing information and early childhood experiences leading to maladaptive schemas.

There are 18 maladaptive schemas identified by Jeffrey Young, which are like categories for negative core beliefs.

Schema Modes Therapy views the mind as having different 'characters' or modes, similar to the movie 'Inside Out'.

The 'Vulnerable Child' mode is central to schema therapy, representing our innate vulnerability and emotional reactions.

The 'Angry Child' mode is a response to unmet needs, attempting to draw attention to the vulnerability.

Coping strategies in schema therapy are Fight, Flight, and Freeze, which are innate responses to threats.

The 'Perfectionistic Overcompensator' is a fight strategy that tries to protect from vulnerability by striving for perfection.

The 'Bully-Attack' mode is an aggressive response to feeling vulnerable, often deflecting criticism onto others.

The 'Self-Aggrandising' mode is a narcissistic defense mechanism that hides vulnerability behind a facade of grandeur.

The 'Suspicious Overcontroller' mode is characterized by a need to control outcomes to avoid perceived threats.

The 'Detached Protector' mode involves psychological flight, disconnecting emotionally to avoid vulnerability.

The 'Avoidant Protector' is a physical flight response, avoiding situations to prevent potential emotional harm.

The 'Anger Protector' mode uses anger as a means to push people away and maintain emotional distance.

The 'Detached Self-Soother' mode engages in maladaptive behaviors to numb feelings of vulnerability.

The 'Compliant Surrender' mode represents a freeze response, where an individual gives up due to overwhelming vulnerability.

Schema therapy aims to reintroduce positive experiences to counteract maladaptive schema modes and promote healthy functioning.

The 'Healthy Adult' mode is a learned response that allows for more sophisticated management of life's challenges.

The 'Happy Child' mode is essential for maintaining a sense of fun and play, balancing the vulnerability of the 'Vulnerable Child'.

Schema therapy involves strategies like soothing, validating, choosing, banishing, negotiating, developing, flourishing, and playing to manage and transform schema modes.

Transcripts

Hi, my name is Jess O'Garr, I'm a clinical  psychologist I'm coming to you today from  

Oscar Online.org (now thePSYCHcollective.com)  and today I'm going to talk to you about schema  

therapy. So the model that I'm going to present  today is based on Schema Mode Therapy and the  

modes that we're going to be referencing today  I'm taking leave from the work done originally  

by Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw from the US who  I was lucky enough to do my training with many  

years ago. So today I'm going to talk about the  different modes of schema therapy and give a bit  

of an overview as to a conceptualization as to  how they all fit together okay. So first of all  

let's talk about schemas. So when we talk about  schemas what really referring to it is like a  

blueprint. You've heard of schematic drawing which  is referring to kind of a blueprint drawing you'd  

have of a house for example. When we talk about  schemas in this sense we're looking at a schema  

in terms of how you organize information. So  it's the way that you would collect information  

organize it and kind of sort it into almost like a  mind map within your brain. Everyone has schemas,  

that's how we develop our understanding of the  world around us. Now schema therapy posits that  

with early experiences in childhood if there  have been some unmet needs there would be the  

development of some maladaptive schemas.

I'm going to be not so much focusing on the schemas themselves today. Examples of those, just to  give a bit of context would be something like an  

abandonment schema and it kind of ties into core  beliefs like schemas are almost like the category  

then the core belief itself would be the thought  within that. So if you have a schema of abandonment,  

then the core belief would be something like  everyone always leaves me okay. So that's schemas  

and there's 18 different maladaptive schemas  that were identified by a guy called Jeffrey  

Young, in the 1980s I think but we're going  to focus more on the schema modes today okay.

So, when we talk about schema modes therapy it's  almost like there's different characters within  

the brain. You've seen the movie Inside Out?  That's kind of similar to that. The characters  

within the brain (we're not talking about auditory  hallucinations or different voices or different  

personalities or anything like that) it's  just recognizing that everyone's got different  

parts of themselves and trying to conceptualize  that. So, for the start of schema therapy,  

everything revolves around a mode that we call the  Vulnerable Child. When we talk about a mode it's  

kind of like a mood plus it's got a behavioural  component attached to it. So the centre of  

everything for schema is this thing we had called  the vulnerable child. Now they reference it as  

a Vulnerable Child because it talks about this  idea that everyone was a child in the beginning,  

obviously, but this sense of vulnerability,  that part of us where we feel fear and scared  

and ashamed and worried, that part of us never  actually leaves us. It's always there no matter  

how old we get it's kind of that inner child kind  of metaphor but it's the one that feels all the  

vulnerability and that's where schema therapy  really centres around okay. So we started off  

with this schema mode called the vulnerable child  it's at the centre of everything and it's kind of  

almost like the source of where the distress  would come from when this mode gets triggered.

Attached to that, you have a mode called...

Angry Child now don't worry this isn't too clear because I'm going to attach a word  document that's got all of these models laid  

out for you as something that's a little bit  easier for you print off and down okay. Now  

the Angry Child links in with the Vulnerable  Child. The way I like to think about it is:  

imagine you've got a four year old girl sitting  in a chair (or a boy, up to you) and the girl is  

in a room full of adults who are responsible  for looking after her and caring for her and  

she's sitting in that chair and she's crying  . No one's paying any attention to her.  

You're got to remember this is around unmet needs  so if the child's getting their needs met and  

they're unlikely to be developing the maladaptive  schema modes. So we've got a child who's upset,  

no one's paying attention to her, she's not  getting her needs met okay. There's your  

Vulnerable Child. Now imagine she's got a brother  who's about six, old enough to recognize that  

my sister's upset, my sister's sad, something  needs to happen here, but also young enough  

that they are not able to do anything about it  themselves. So a six-year-old you know worried  

about his younger sister in a room full of adults  who's supposed to be looking after them but not  

actually paying any attention to them is going  to do what a normal six-year-old do and throw  

a tantrum. There might be yelling, there might  be screaming, they might be stomping the feet,  

and the idea behind it is it's a way of trying  to draw in attention to say "hey something's not  

right here, this situation is not okay, I'm  not okay, the vulnerable child's not okay,  

someone come and give us some attention in a way  of getting our needs met." The problem with that,  

is that if you've got adults or people who are  in a responsible role of caring for your needs,  

who see you having a tantrum if they're  already ignoring you when you're upset,  

chances are they're going to either ignore you  or punish you if you're showing the anger okay.  

So there is this real strong kind of desire to  get the needs met and bring attention and draw  

people in, problem is it doesn't work so well.  So these are kind of the two base child modes.

Attached around that is an element of  coping strategies. Now as humans we  

are born with three primary responses: Fight,  Flight, Freeze. I'm going to draw those now.

So these three main responses, as I said,  they're hardwired into everyone. Everyone  

is born with these in some sort of capacity  and they develop over time in terms of their  

level of sophistication in the way in  which we choose to implement them. Most  

of us will have a default setting or kind  of our 'go to' with these sort of things,  

but everyone has the capacity to move between all  three of these okay. Now these coping strategies  

come in the way of trying to keep us safe from  threat. Now originally they're developed as part  

of helping us from an evolutionary point of view  avoid actually physical threat, sabre-toothed  

tigers and whatnot. From a schema point of  view we're looking at prevention or safety  

around physical threat but also a kind of verbal,  emotional or psychological threat or abuse. So  

these coping layers come in almost as a way of  providing a shield around the Vulnerable Child.  

You know that everything centres around this, so  this is what we're trying to actually protect.  

We're trying to protect our vulnerability, we're  trying to keep ourselves safe and these are the  

three options that we have available to us  as children. But again, we don't lose that,  

we don't grow out of our Fight/Flight strategies.  It's something that we still have accessible  

to us as adults and really we need them accessible  to us as adults because we need to still keep  

ourselves safe no matter how old we are. But we  can break these Fight, Flight, Freeze categories  

down further into modes that would actually look  at how we respond when we're feeling vulnerable.

The first one I am going to  talk about is a fight strategy.

It's a Perfectionistic Overcompensator. Now  usually when we hear fight, the assumption is  

that there's going to be some sort of aggression  to it or like actually getting in a fistfight with  

someone. That's not necessarily the case when  were looking at schema therapy. This can be  

more around a psychological fight strategy and  it comes with an overcompensatory mode. So let  

me give you an example, if we've got someone  who's feeling vulnerable. So say I'm feeling  

vulnerable about my performance on the task at  work. My Perfectionistic Overcompensator would  

kind of kick in to say "I'm going to protect  you from feeling vulnerable by making sure you  

do everything perfectly alright because if you  were perfect and if you can show other people  

that you have absolutely no flaws whatsoever  then they've got nothing to threaten you about,  

there's no danger there because everything's  perfect, everything's neat and tidy and there's  

no issues". So the Perfectionistic Overcompensator  is going to mean that I show up at 7 o'clock in  

the morning, I'm here until 10 o'clock at night, I  triple check every single piece of work that I do,  

I'm constantly checking to make sure that  I'm getting the approval from other people,  

that they're happy with the work that I'm  doing and generally on the surface can  

probably look like I'm functioning pretty  well. The fallout from the Perfectionistic  

Overcompensator is you can't keep it up  forever. This is where we get to burnout.  

So there's pros because it looks functional,  and you know what, it's gonna get rewarded  

because other people particularly in like an  employment circumstance or something like that,  

they're going to love it. They're getting the  best work out of you! So the Perfectionistic  

Overcompensator on the surface it looks good,  but the problem is it's not sustainable.

So moving on for a different Fight strategy...

You have something like Bully-Attack. This  is probably more your classic sort of Fight  

strategy. This is where we'd see someone who when  they're feeling vulnerable so maybe if they're  

feeling a bit cornered, if someone's coming at  them with a bit of criticism or some negative  

feedback, this is the person who's going to come  out swinging. It may not necessarily be physical,  

it may be more verbal, but it would look  like someone who like if like if a staff  

member walks up to me and said look I'm not happy  with how you did X report, then the Bully-Attack  

response would be "Well when you did the last  report you made all these spelling mistakes and  

it was a mess and rah-rah-rah" and the idea of  shifting the attention off what I've done wrong,  

pushing it on to the other person so then the  focus is all on them and what they've done wrong  

which then deflects the attention off of my  vulnerability, off of my failings or of where I've  

done this wrong. Often what we'll see with this  is someone who uses a lot of Bully-Attack mode  

has a lot of difficulty taking responsibility  for things that they've actually done wrong  

or acknowledging when they stuffed up and usually has  quite an aggressive sort of mannerism about them.

Similar to that one...

We have the Self-Aggrandising mode. This  is going to be probably similar to what  

we consider a narcissistic defence. The idea  of the person is I"'m going to prevent anyone  

from seeing my vulnerability by showing  how completely awesome I am and talking  

my self up whenever I can". So it's the  person who thinks that they are wonderful,  

they see themselves walking on water they can  never make any particular mistake. It's different  

to this because these ones know that they can  make mistakes and they're trying so hard to  

overcompensate for it. The Self-Aggrandising is  more of a kind of big ego and "look how good I  am",

and it's a lot more showy but usually what  we find under that is a very very very scared  person

a very very strong vulnerable child that  they're trying incredibly hard to try and hide.

The last one I'm going to talk about...

Is the Suspicious Overcontroller. So this  one we'd see where there is a fear that  

something bad is going to happen and there is  a desire to go into a response of controlling  

everything. They've got not only a plan B  but they've got a plan C D E and F. They're  

watching everything. You might get a bit of  micromanagement happening here in the sense  

of "I don't trust anyone to do it right so  I'll do it myself". They're suspicious of  

other people's intentions. There can be kind of  some elements of paranoia coming into here and  

fear that something bad is going to go wrong  unless I control every single outcome.  

There are a few more fight strategies if you actually  look at some of the literature on schema therapy,  

some of them going to like Predator Mode and  Conning Mode but we see those really more  

with a forensic setting. Not something that we  usually work with kind of in a normal community  

sample within mental health so I'm going to  leave those and move on to Flight strategies.

So Flight, in its simplest form,  is avoidance. And we see exactly  

the same thing when we look at the modes,  slight variations on the categories here.

Detached Protector is the first one. This  is a form of psychological flight. On the  

surface it can look like the person can  actually be in the room, in the building,  

be participa- well be attentive in what is going  on, but there's a form of psychological shutdown  

happening with the Detached Protector. It's  the element that kind of it's almost like the  

lights are on but nobody's home. There can be  an element of dissociation to this at times,  

and it would be going into a situation that  you know you have to go into but being able  

to switch off emotionally to what's happening.  So it's when people can kind of activate that  

sense of feeling numb. The rationale behind  this is that "if I don't feel anything then  

I don't have to connect with my Vulnerable  Child" because in the flight strategies is  

"I would do anything to avoid contact with this  because this is scary and overwhelming and it  

gets too intense and I don't want to deal with  it so I'm just going to avoid it" and Detached  

Protector is a way of having that avoidance  when you're still forced to be in the room.

The flip side of that...

Is the avoidant protector. This is more of  a physiological flight or more of a physical  

flight. It's "just don't go out the room".  If you're expecting something bad to happen  

or if you catastrophizing something bad is  gonna happen don't go. Don't go to the party,  

don't go to the staff meeting, don't even go down  to the grocery store because it could be terrible,  

it could be an attack, catastrophic.  It's easier to just simply avoid.

Mixed in with this we also have...

the Anger Protector and the Angry Child,  because on the surface they look the same,  

they're both angry. But the function of the  behaviour is what actually differentiates it  

here. With an Angry Protector it's part of the  flight strategies, so it's around pushing people  

away. You think about, if you're walking  down the street and you see someone who's  

acting really aggressive and they're yelling  or they're screaming or whatever, you're more  

likely to cross the road and get away from that  person as opposed to go up and engage with them,  

and that's what an Angry Protector is trying to  do. These are the ones who will push everyone  

away because "If no one can get close to me then  no one's gonna hurt me. I can be scary and I can  

be intimidating." It's the ones that have got "go  away" tattooed on their foreheads so to speak,  

and keeping everyone away at arm's length. That  usually comes back to a massive fear that

"if anyone gets close then they might get to know me,  they might abandon me, and that might hurt me."

And the final Flight strategy  we're going to talk about...

Is the Detached Self-Soother. This is a  similar form of flight because it's around  

"I don't want to feel my vulnerability.  I don't want to feel the feelings that  

are intense or scary or overwhelming, so I'm  going to do something to take those feelings  

away." So Detached Self-Soother is where we  see behaviour where people who are engaging  

self soothing behaviours that are going  to be maladaptive. So it could be alcohol,  

substances, food, shopping, sex, risky driving,  self-harm, as a way of transforming this feeling  

that I have of vulnerability into something  more manageable a physical manifestation of  

distress that I can see and I can show others  and I can tend to or something that brings  

different a emotion such as happiness or joy  or exhilaration (that's usually short-lived)  

but feels something that's more of kind of  the positive spectrum in terms of emotions.

So all of these are around flight and for  Freeze we pretty much just have one...

Complaint Surrender. This is where the strategy  is pretty much just give into it. Just go with  

whatever is happening. You don't like it, you  don't want to happen but you've just got no Fight  

left, you've got no Flight left, you're kind of  at the bottom level in terms of your strategies  

and it's that sense of "I give up." If we're  talking about it from a schema point of view,  

so if someone's got a schema of say failure where  the core belief is "I fail at everything", this  

one's gonna be "no no no I can't fail, I won't  fail perfectly, I'll do everything perfectly so I  

don't fail". This one's going to be "I'm not even  going to try because then I can't fail". This  

is more of a "yep, I just fail at stuff, that's  just me, that always happens." So the Compliant  

Surrender really is kind of just that final  line of defence of just giving up and giving in.

Now, we talk about these three layers  as being a layer of protection for the  

Vulnerable Child. It's almost like they  form a concrete bunker. But the rationale  

for having a bunker is if you perceive  that there's threat in your environment.

So that's where we get to the  dysfunctional parent modes...

So the Punitive Parent Mode is the primary one  that we see in terms of the source of threat. Now,  

from a schema therapy point of view they call it a  Punitive Parent Mode because the rationale behind  

these is children aren't born hating themselves.  If you've ever been around a two-year-old,  

they think they're awesome. They see themselves as  the centre of the universe. So then how do you go  

from a two-year-old who thinks they're awesome to  a twelve-year-old who hates themselves to a twenty  

two-year-old that's got depression? It's usually  a result of their external environment. Obviously  

biology has got a part to play with this, but  in terms of what they think about themselves,  

how they talk to themselves, that's usually  going to come from what's happening in their  

environment. So it starts off as being from  external sources and over time that voice  

gets internalised and it starts to become what we  will more colloquially call our 'inner critic'.

Now, parent mode- again this is not saying that's  mum and dad's fault. It's more just recognising  

that as children we are very strongly influenced  by the adults in our lives. The Punitive Parent  

is an amalgamation of all of the negative things  that we heard growing up. It could be mum and dad,  

it could be grandparents, it could be aunties and  uncles, it could be coaches, it could be teachers,  

it could be Scout leaders, it could be religious  educators, anyone who was in a position of  

authority or power or responsibility for a child  who either said negative harmful or hurtful things  

or there was an absence of positive things.  Now, this could be that the parent with the  

best of intentions trying to calm a child down  but if it's done in a way that is perceived as  

invalidating or dismissive, if it's the kind of  "stop crying, you're fine, there's nothing wrong"   

in an attempt to calm the child down can actually  come across as "my feelings are wrong, I'm not  

supposed to be feeling this", which then turns you  into an internal message of "I can't show anyone  

when I'm upset". So the Punitive Parent is that  negative, critical voice of "I'm not good enough,  

no one loves me, no one wants me." It's just the  sense that everything is kind of failure, and it  

feeds back in to those negative core beliefs  and the schemas we were talking about earlier.

There's a second Parent Mode...

This one is called the Demanding  Parent. Slightly different because  

this is more of the one that gives you  the push. So the Punitive Parent is the  

one who just criticises and puts down;  the Demanding Parent is more like the  

one who's cracking the whip. so  this is kind of a bossy critic.

And it's the one that says "you need  to try harder, you need to do more,  

you need to push more, you need to get up at four  o'clock in the morning to be able to get to work,  

to do it all perfectly, to make sure that no  one's ever going to question you or threaten  

you. Now these Parent Modes are targeting the  Vulnerable Child. So you've kind of got these  

snipes coming through and these attacks coming  through here. Sometimes, your coping mechanisms  

work and they deflect the criticism from coming  through and actually hitting the Vulnerable Child,  

but nothing about our coping strategies are ever  perfect. So sometimes the the hits do come through  

and that's when we get that kind of gut-wrenching,  soul-crushing feeling of vulnerability that comes  

from our own internal processes. So this is a  representation of the maladaptive schemas at work,  

in terms of the dysfunctional parent modes  and maladaptive coping modes. I want you  

to keep in mind, this stuff was developed  for children as because we have a limited  

resources available to us as kids. We've got to  rely on the absolute basics of Flight. Flight,  

Freeze. Problems occur when we continue to apply  the strategies that work for us in childhood,  

into our environment as adults. Environment has  changed, we've gotten older. Ideally, we want  

to learn some more sophisticated strategies of  managing it, and that's why you start to see  

people presenting for treatment because their  coping modes that used to work, don't work  

anymore. Now not all hope is lost, we do actually  have some positive modes here to talk about.

The first one being Healthy Adult...

This is the part of us that actually allows  us to do our adulting. This is the part of us  

that is ideally working as almost like a stage  director, to be able to control all of these  

characters on stage and to be making some healthy  grown-up decisions. What this means is, that when  

we're faced with any sort of situation, instead  of having our three options of response, you've  

actually got four. You've got Fight, Flight,  Freeze and Healthy Adult. The problem is, Healthy  

Adult needs to be learnt. We're not actually born  with this response the way we are with these ones,  

this one needs to evolve over time based on  having a good education and a good role model from  

people around us to teach us how to do this. In  situations where people haven't had those positive  

experiences in early childhood, the Healthy Adult  Mode is probably going to be underdeveloped.

The second healthy mode that is in with that...

Is our Happy Child Mode. Again, this is a  positive mode. It is one of the child modes,  

but it's actually one of the healthy modes so  we keep it up here. And the Happy Child Mode is  

where we get that sense of fun, where we get  the sense of play. People who've grown up in  

environments where their needs weren't being  met usually aren't afforded many opportunities  

for fun and play and novelty and autonomy and  independence. So if it's lacking in childhood,  

it's really hard for us to continue that in  adulthood. The second part of that is for  

people who have actually had it in adulthood,  society kind of tells us to stop fooling around  

and grow up and act your age and be more  serious, so we can lose that sense of fun  

at times. What we recognise though, is that  having that Happy Child is a really good kind  

of balance to the Vulnerable Child. You don't  want to get rid of this, you need this. This is  

where our humanity sits, but this is more where  our happiness sits, so that's really important.

Now in terms of schema therapy how we actually  make some changes here. Schema, as I said,  

schema works on the principle that there were  negative experiences in childhood that led to  

the development of maladaptive schema modes,  therefore we need to reintroduce some positive  

experiences to lead to the increase  of functioning of the healthy modes.

So we talk about...

The idea of a Good Parent and schema therapy  actually uses this concept of re-parenting.  

So teaching you new ways or different ways  to actually respond to perceived or actual  

threat. Now, in terms of schema therapy,  the good parent is actually represented by  

the therapist. It's the good parent as the  therapist instructing the patient how to  

increase their Healthy Adult to manage the rest  of these modes. So we've got some pretty kind of  

clear sort of strategies in terms of what needs  to happen here from a management point of view.

So from a therapeutic point of view,  Vulnerable Child is the centre of  

everything. That doesn't change. We need  to actually learn how to look after that  

Vulnerable Child to get used to allowing  ourselves to experience that Vulnerable  

Child in order to learn how to master  it. So the strategy for the Vulnerable  

Child is not shut it down, it's not get  rid of it, it's actually to SOOTHE it.

For the angry child, if you've ever worked with  anyone or been around anyone who's angry, their  

primary kind of point is they're feeling unheard.  So the management strategy for angry child is  

actually let them talk. Find out what's going  on for them. Let their point of view be heard,  

because nine times out of ten, once you've dealt  with the anger, you uncover the vulnerability.

So here...

We need to VALIDATE.

Now, with the coping modes, I don't want  you to turn them off because Flight,  

Flight. Freeze are automated for a reason. It's  something that we were born with for a reason.  

If there's a bus coming barreling down  the street as you're crossing the road  

I want you to get out of the way and it's  these systems that are going to make that happen. 

So I don't need to get rid of them but  I want you to be able to CHOOSE when and if you  engage them

So there's times when Perfectionistic  Overcompensator can actually be quite functional,  

but it needs to be time limited. There are times  where if you're faced with someone who represents  

an actual threat to you Avoidant Protector is  going to help you get out of danger. But there's  

going to be other people that aren't threatening  to you that you're having difficulty engaging if  

you're so used to being in your protective  mode. So then the strategies for this...

Is to be selective. Your strategy for your  parent modes, there's two different strategies.  

Because your Punitive Parent is critical and  rude and negative and horrible at all times,  

it has absolutely no value whatsoever...  we BANISH. Get rid of it, to the best of  

your ability. Maybe not a hundred percent  but at least be able to recognize when it  

is that the inner critic is talking and go  "I don't want to hear it. Go away. Shut up."  

Whatever you need to do. Imagine kicking it off  a cliff. But Demanding Parent, on the other hand,  

there is actually some element of functionality  and purpose in that one. You need that voice in  

the back of your head that says "get out of  bed. You've hit snooze three times. If you  

don't get out of bed now you're going too  late." What you don't need is a voice that  

says "get up at four o'clock in the morning;  you need to clean the house, mop the floors,  

go to the gym for two hours then you're  allowed to go to work. Once you get to work,  

you need to do this, this, this." It just gets  too out of control. So for here...

we NEGOTIATE.

The healthy adult modes what we  really need to do here is DEVELOP and FLOURISH...

And for the Happy Child Mode,  the biggest thing that we want  

here ...let it out. PLAY. Have some  fun. It's a really good balance to  

this stuff down here and something  that we never actually grow out of.

Okay! I hope all that's made sense. As  I said I'm going to include the word  

document that's got kind of the overview of  these you've got something you can actually  

download and print out if you need it. We  will do some more videos coming up talking  

about some of the modes within these but for  today that is my schema conceptualization.

Download diagram at www.thepsychcollective.com