How do schema modes and mode factors align with defense styles and personality disorder symptoms?

Abstract

Maladaptive schema modes (or modes) are a key concept in schema therapy; they reflect sets of currently activated maladaptive schemas, schema-evoked emotional distress, and coping attempts. Drawing on a set of 20 modes, this study aimed to replicate personality disorder (PD)-specific mode models, to investigate relationships among modes, higher order mode factors (i.e., Internalization, Externalization, and Compulsivity), and defense styles and to test the contributions of higher order mode factors and defense styles to variance in PD symptoms. The sample consisted of N ϭ 533 German-speaking psychiatric inpatients. A total of 67 practically significant correlations between 20 modes and 10 PD scores were found (range: |.44| to |.76|), and 36 out of 47 hypothesized PD-mode associations were confirmed. In a series of 23 regression analyses, the immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles showed 23, 10, and 12 significant effects on mode variables, respectively. Defense styles jointly accounted for 9.0% to 42.4% of variance in mode variables after controlling for the effects of age and sex, implying that modes and defense styles are related yet distinguishable constructs. Finally, mode factors and defense styles independently accounted for unique variance in all 10 PD scores, with mode factors contributing significantly more to variance in antisocial, obsessive-compulsive, and avoidant PD symptoms. Implications of the results for theory and practice are discussed.

A trait emotional intelligence perspective on schema modes

“…When modes are measured with the SMI, modes separate non‐clinical from clinical subjects (e.g., Lobbestael et al ., 2010; Reiss, Dominiak, Harris, Knörnschild, Schouten & Jacob, 2012; Reiss, Krampen, Christoffersen & Bach, 2016). They are related to maladaptive traits (e.g., Bach, Lee, Mortensen & Simonsen, 2016), PD symptoms (e.g., Bamelis, Renner, Heidkamp & Arntz, 2011; Jacobs, Lenz, Dörner & Wegener, 2019; Lobbestael, van Vreeswijk & Arntz, 2008), personality dysfunction (e.g., Bach & Anderson, 2020; Bach & Hutsebaut, 2018), and psychological distress (e.g., Reiss et al ., 2016) in conceptually coherent ways. To date, relatively few studies have examined the relations between modes and widely accepted personality traits (e.g., Jacobs et al ., 2020; Lobbestael et al ., 2010).…”

Schema therapy: Conceptualization and treatment of personality disorders.

“…The SMI has been evaluated in many countries with consistent results supporting its factorial validity, internal consistency, construct validity, and ability to discriminate between subgroups (summarized in Bach et al, 2016). Several studies have explored the relationship between schemas and modes and other PD measures Kunst et al, 2020) and the concept of defense mechanisms (Jacobs et al, 2019).…”

Associations between early maladaptive schema domains of parents and their adult children: The role of defence styles

“…Schema theory is an integrative theory that combines principles of several psychological theories and therapy models (i.e., cognitive–behavioural, Gestalt, attachment, object relations, constructivist, and psychoanalytic schools), and the concepts of schema theory and psychodynamic theory are frequently noted to be interrelated (Edwards & Arntz, 2012). However, there are relatively few studies examining those relationships (e.g., Jacobs et al, 2019). Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to investigate the mediator role of a psychodynamic concept (i.e., defence styles) in contributing to the associations between EMSs of parents and their adult children.…”

“…Based on these findings, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the role of DS on the development of EMSs in childhood. However, due to the fact that DSs are emphasized to be related to schema coping styles which leads to perpetuation of EMS from childhood to adulthood (Dadomo et al, 2016; Jacobs et al, 2019) and are predictors of representational world emphasizing self‐criticism or dependency in the adulthood (Campos et al, 2011; Tondar et al, 2017), they may at least play a role on perpetuating EMSs throughout the lifespan after they are acquired as a result of the negative interactions with the caregivers.…”