Relationship between personality organization and Young’s cognitive model of personality pathology

The relationship between the psychodynamic concept of personality organization (PO) and Young’s cognitive model of personality pathology was studied in a sample of 117 patients that were referred to Schema Focused Therapy for severe personality pathology. Principal Component Analysis was used to reduce the number of Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) and schema modes variables. The higher order factors identified were theoretically meaningful from the perspective of Young’s schema theory and were comparable to those found in other samples. Second, results also provided evidence for the assumption that different schemas and schema mode factors are associated with levels of personality organization in theoretically predicted ways. Implications of these findings for assessment and treatment of personality pathology are discussed.