Another perspective on trait aggressiveness: Overlap with early maladaptive schemas

Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) refer to a dysfunctional pattern of memories, emotions, cognitions, and bodily sensations about oneself and relationships with others developed in childhood or adolescence and elaborated throughout life (Young, 1990 and Young, 1999). These EMSs have been linked to several psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders and eating disorders. Research in human aggression has made significant advancements with similar cognitive concepts such as cognitive aggressive scripts, aggressive cognitive-associative networks, and biased perceptions of hostility. However, the existence of any association between EMSs and a disposition toward aggression remains largely unexamined. The objective of this study was to determine whether EMSs are related to trait aggressiveness. The Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry, 1992) and EMSs from the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF; Young, 1998) were completed online by a large sample of first year university students. The EMSs that were most strongly and uniquely related to trait aggressiveness after controlling for gender and depressive symptoms were Mistrust, Entitlement, and Insufficient Self-Control.