Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 511
table 12.3. Core maladaptive schemas that Characterize posttraumatic stress Disorder
Maladaptive beliefs Clinical example
Beliefs about the self
••Of being weak and vulnerable to future harm “Because I am such a weak person, I am more likely
to be harmed in the future.”
••Cannot trust one’s perceptions or judgments “I can’t trust myself anymore because I make such
poor judgments.”
••Of being inferior to others “I am not as strong and resourceful as other
people.”
••Of being a bad person for letting this happen “I should be punished for letting this happen to
me.”
••Of lacking control or being effective “I am unable to control what happens to me so I am
incapable of protecting myself.”
••Loss of autonomy or sense of being human (i.e.,
mental defeat)
“I have been defiled; I have lost all dignity and
respect as a human being. I am just an object.”Beliefs about others
••Of being alone “I feel so empty and alone.”
••That no one really cares “No one really understands or cares about me.”
••That others blame the victim for what happened
or for not getting over it
“People blame me for what happened. They think I
am exaggerating and should be able to put this all
behind me.”
••People are basically bad, evil, or malicious “Human nature is basically evil and so capable of
g reat cr uelt y.”
••People will harm you and so can’t be trusted “People are cruel and will hurt you so you can’t
trust them.”
••Human life is worthless, expendable “There is no value or special meaning to a human
life.”Beliefs about the world and future
••The world is a dangerous place “I can never be safe in such a dangerous world.”
••There is little benevolence or good in the world “In this world cruelty and selfishness are far more
common than kindness or caring.”
••Expectation of future harm and danger “In the future bad things are likely to happen to me
again.”
Beliefs about the trauma
••Harm is random and unpredictable “You are in the greatest danger when you least
expect it.”
••Negative interpretation of responses during the
trauma
“I should not have frozen during the attack.”••Failure to be more effective in protecting
oneself.“I should have fought off the attacker. If I had, I
wouldn’t be suffering as much as I am now.”
••About causing the trauma “I should have known better than to walk alone.”
••About the long-term negative effects of trauma “I will never be the same after what happened to
me.”
(cont.)