Schemas & Major Depressive Disorder (DP IB Psychology): Revision Note

What is a schema?

• A schema is a mental representation of:

  • concrete things, e.g., cat, house, mother

  • abstract concepts, e.g., freedom, jealousy, love

• Schemas are built from information gathered or assimilated over a lifetime through:

  • direct experience, e.g., going to school

  • the media, e.g., watching a TV series about school

  • contact with other people, e.g., parents sharing their school experiences

• There are different types of schemas:

  • Frame schemas hold details and characteristics of things

    • E.g., cat, house, or mother

  • Script schemas hold sequences and expectations about events

    • E.g., going to school involves taking the bus, going to lessons, having lunch, going home on the bus

• Schemas are flexible and can be changed with new experiences

  • E.g., meeting someone who has been home-schooled may change your school as it will accommodate this new information

• Schemas are subjective – no schema is 'right' or 'wrong'

• People’s schemas may overlap but they are never identical because each is shaped by unique experiences

Early maladaptive schemas & MDD

• An early maladaptive schema (EMS) is a type of self-schema formed in childhood that shapes a person's self-image, self-esteem and well-being

• EMS often develop after abuse, neglect or distressing/unpredictable experiences

• They are stable (resistant to change) and consist of long-term negative beliefs about the self, even after years of therapy

• EMS may contribute to MDD by instilling persistent low self-worth and sadness

Examples of EMS

• Abandonment – the belief that caregivers are unreliable, cold or unloving

• Defectiveness - the belief that one is unworthy of love, 'bad', or destined for rejection

• Failure to achieve – the belief that one is doomed to fail and less capable than others

Research support for EMS

 Riso et al. (2006)

 Aim:

• To investigate whether EMS are stable over time (2.5-to-5 years)

 Participants:

• 55 outpatients with MDD (43 females, 12 males; 90% Caucasian)

 Procedure:

• EMS were assessed with the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) covering 16 EMS, including:

  • Emotional deprivation – ‘People have not been there to meet my emotional needs’

  • Failure to achieve – ‘Most other people are more capable than I am in work and achievement’

  • Vulnerability to harm – ‘I feel something bad is about to happen’

  • Subjugation – ‘I have no choice but to give in to others or risk rejection'

Results:

• 75% of participants showed evidence of EMS

• Those in remission were less affected by EMS than others

 Conclusion

• EMS are long-term. stable patterns in people with depression.

Evaluation of schemas & MDD

Strengths

• Riso’s findings have real-life application

  • They could be used to inform therapy/interventions for people at risk of depression

• Schemas give insight into an individual’s fears, motivations and perspectives, making them valuable for understanding depression

Limitations

• Riso’s study only generated quantitative data

  • Qualitative data might capture the complexities of depression better

• Schemas are not easy to measure, as they are subjective and unique to each individual

Link to concepts

Bias

• Schemas cover all topics and stimuli that a person encounters across their lifespan, which means that schemas are likely to include sources and types of bias

  • E.g., the self-blaming bias of a depressed person

• By exploring someone’s schemas, it can be possible to identify what is holding them back from recovery

  • E.g., someone with a self-blaming bias is likely to attribute all negative outcomes in their life to themselves

    • This can then be explored and challenged using cognitive behavioural therapy

Change

• If a depressed person can fully address their MDD they may – with help – overcome EMS

  • In this way change is possible for them as they gain the confidence and self-efficacy to direct their own outcomes

  • E.g., from feeling helpless/negative/miserable to feeling that they have full agency over their life