emotional schema

6. A: What is an emotional schema, how does it get formed? B: How does it affect
a person’s current life? C: How is the emotional schema worked with in Bonding Psychotherapy? D:
Describe the parts of a schema, the steps for exploring a schema and the difficulties encountered.

A: An emotional schema is an internal template from which current emotional experiences are
processed. Emotional schemas are formed in the brain in early life and develop as a result of the
degree to which the child’s basic biopsychosocial needs are met by the attachment figure. A child
who has experienced adequate fulfillment of its basic needs, develops functional emotional
schemas based on those positive emotional experiences. On the other hand, should the child’s
basic needs be frequently or constantly neglected, a cumulative relationship trauma can result with
an internalized and uncertain sense of self and other, represented in a dysfunctional emotional
schema.

B: Emotional schemas determine and regulate interpersonal relationships when activated. An adult
who has internalized functional emotional schemas may have more positive sense of self and
others, have a greater capacity to appropriately fulfill their basic needs and an ability to establish
and sustain interpersonal relationships. When someone has internalized a dysfunctional emotional
schema, it can result in the development of dysfunctional relationship patterns that make it difficult
or impossible to fulfill the basic needs. For example, a client with alcoholic and raging parents may
react to the stress of conflict with her husband with extreme anxiety, dissociation, self loathing or
overly accommodating behaviors as a result of the activation of her dysfunctional emotional
schema which results in perpetuation of her unmet basic needs and insecure attachment.

C: In Bonding Psychotherapy a dysfunctional emotional schema is used as the starting point in

therapy with a client. It can serve as a foundation for therapeutic work involving structural deficits,
values conflicts, unconscious intrapsychic conflicts, unresolved relationships with emotionally
important others or to deepen awareness and understanding of persistent relationship problems or
situations that result in distressing emotional states.

D:An emotional schema consists of the following parts:

Interpersonal Situation and Context

Triggering Situation “Sore Point”, an emotional signal

Defense and Avoidance

Emotions

Cognitive Attitudes about Self and Others

Spiritual or meaningfulness

Motivation or needs

Physical Sensations
Behavior

Relationship Pattern

Attachment Style
The Steps for Exploring a Schema consist of:

1. Interpersonal Situation: A current situation involving the client and someone emotionally
important to them that did not go well or one in which the client was emotionally triggered.
The situation also includes evaluation of the Context in which the event occurred and
theSystem of the relationship of the parties involved.
2. Sore Point: Determination of the point in the event which resulted in the greatest
emotional response in the client or activation of cumulative relationship trauma.
3. Physical Perception: Identification of the body sensations at the point of the sore point
activation ie muscle tension, pain, difficulty breathing, described in physical, kinesthetic
terms.
4. Emotions: Identification of the emotions associated with the experience of the Sore Point,
including Primary Emotions or emotions most directly associated with the activation of
the cumulative relationship trauma and its accompanying violated or unmet basic
biopsychosocial needs. Secondary Emotions which are emotions the client may feel
instead of the Primary Emotions as a result of them feeling overwhelming or the client
being sufficiently entitled to experience the Primary Emotion. Instrumental Emotions are
also identified which are emotions which are used by the client to elicit a desired behavior
from the other person and also serves as a means to avoid the deeper emotions associated
with the Primary Emotions.
5. Dysfunctional Cognitions: The cognitions that arise from the Sore Point, Physical
Perceptions and the Primary Emotion. These cognitions involve the Self and Other(s) and
are negative, harsh, often simple and primitive in nature. They result in negative
consequences for the client.
6. Violated Basic Needs: The basic biopsychosocial needs for Bonding, Attachment,
Autonomy, Self Esteem, Identity, Physical Well Being and Pleasure,
Spirituality which were not met as a result of the cumulative relationship trauma which
was activated in the Sore Point.
7. Behavior Intention and Consequences: Identification of the behavior that the client
does after experiencing the Dysfunctional Cognitions; determination of its Short Term
Positive Consequences, often naively protective of self or relationship, Negative Short
Term Consequences, and most importantly, Long Term Negative Consequences of
the behavior if the client continued to use it over the next 10 or more years and its impact
on the client’s life, health, relationships, lack of needs fulfillment, life meaning, spirituality,
etc.
8. Meaning of Long Term Negative Consequences: Exploration of if the Long Term
Negative Consequences happened, what meaning about Self, life, relationships and the
larger world would the client make? “Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?”
9. Assessment of Consistency: Does the client’s understanding of the Long Term Negative
Consequences of their behavior result in subjective experience of Inconsistency or
feelings of disturbance or unhappiness over the direction one’s life would continue on
orConsistency or a subjective experience that that’s “just the way I am” and “it’s not a big
deal”. Rating the score of the Consistency Assessment from -10 to +10.
The Relationship Patterns Questionnaire (RPQ): a validation
using a clinical sample
Regina A Kurth, Dan Pokorny

Klinik für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen.

Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie. 01/2006; 55(12):502-11. DOI: 10.1055/s-

2005-866943
Abstract

The Relationship Patterns Questionnaire RPQ was designed to assess the relationship patterns
concerning the individual's own behavior as well as the anticipated behavior of an important
reference person. In this study, the questionnaire is examined psychometrically by using a sample
of psychosomatic inpatients (N = 160). The underlying circumplex structure could be confirmed by
means of factorial analyses as well as by the correlations between IIP and RPQ. There were no
significant correlations between physical complaints (GBB) and relationship patterns; however, a
less affectionate relation was associated with greater psychosocial strains (SCL-90-R) both on the
self and on the object level. The pre-post analysis revealed a tendency to a greater ability to assert
oneself as well as to be open opposite the reference person, but the effect size was small.
Possibilities and limits of the present RPQ version are discussed and conclusions are drawn
concerning the further development.

Self-assessment of interpersonal schemas using the relationship

patterns questionnaire: A quantitative approach
Authors: Annett K rnera; Martin Drapeaub; J. Christopher Perryb; Regina A. Kurthc; Dan Pokornyd; Michael
Geyere

Abstract
This article reviews measures used to assess relationship patterns, 1 of which is the
Relationship Patterns Questionnaire (RPQ) developed by Kurth and Pokorny (1999). The
RPQ is based on the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (Benjamin, 1974) and the core
conflictual relationship theme (Luborsky, 1977). Using data from a representative German
population survey (N=2,007), the authors introduced empirical RPQ scales for the reaction of
the object, reaction of the subject, and introject items to complement the theoretical scales of
the questionnaire. Means and standard deviations according to age, gender, and place of
residence are reported as well as correlations between the scales and their dependency on
sociodemographic parameters. The empirical scales show good internal consistency and
clinical relevance. Thus, the RPQ is suitable to identify a patient's relationship patterns
quickly and economically both in practice and in research.
Yeme tutum bozukluğu ile kişilerarası şemalar, bağlanma stilleri, kişilerarası
ilişki tarzları ve öfke arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi [Investigation of the
relationships between eating attitude disorder, and interpersonal schemas,
attachment styles, interpersonal relation styles and anger]

Antisosyal kişilik bozukluğunda erken dönem uyumsuz şemalar, algılanan

ebeveynlik stilleri ve şema sürdürücü başa çıkma davranışları arasındaki
ilişkiler: Şema terapi modeli çerçevesinde bir inceleme [The relationships
between early maladaptive schemas, perceived parenting styles and
schema driven c

Üniversite öğrencilerinin kişilerarası ilişkileri ve bağlanma stilleri arasındaki

ilişkinin incelenmesi [Exploration of the relationship between the university
students interpersonal relations and attachment styles]