YOUNG SCHEMA QUESTIONNAIRE — YSQ – S3

Full Name _______________________________________ Age _______ Date

____/____/_______

Instructions:
Listed below are statements that people can use to describe themselves. Please read each
statement and then rate it based on how you fit in during this past year. When you're not sure,
base your answer on what you feel emotionally, not what you think is true.
Some of the items refer to your relationship with your parents or romantic partners. If any of
these people have passed away, please answer these items based on your relationships when they
were alive. If you do not currently have a romantic partner, but have had romantic relationships
in the past, please answer the item based on your most recent significant romantic relationship.
Choose the best score from 1 to 6 on the rating scale below that best describes you.

RATING SCALE
1 = Completely false about me
2 = More false than true about me
3 = Slightly more true than false about me
4 = Moderately true about me
5 = Mostly true about me
6 = Describes me perfectly
1. ____ I don't have anyone who takes care of me, who shares their life with me or who really
cares about everything that happens to me.
2. ____I tend to get very attached to the people who are closest to me because I'm afraid they'll
abandon me.
3. ____I feel like people will take advantage of me.
4. ____ I'm a misfit.
5. ____No man/woman I like can like me after knowing my defects or weaknesses.
6. ____Almost nothing I do at work (or at school) is as good as what others are capable of doing.
7. ____I don't feel capable of managing my day-to-day life on my own.
8. ____I can't help but feel like something bad is about to happen.
9. ____I haven't been able to separate myself from my parents, as other people my age do.
10. ____I feel like if I do what I want, I'll only end up in trouble.
11. ____I'm always the one who ends up taking care of the people who are closest to me.
12. ____I am too controlled to reveal my positive feelings to others (e.g., affection, showing that
I care).
13. ____I have to be the best in almost everything I do; I don't accept coming in second place.
14. ____I have a lot of difficulty accepting “no” for an answer when I want something from
others.
15. ____I can't discipline myself enough to carry out routine or boring tasks.
16. ____Having money and meeting important people makes me feel like a valuable person.
17. ____Even when things seem to be going well, I feel like this is only temporary.
18. ____If I make a mistake, I deserve to be punished.
19. ____I don't have people who give me affection, support and affection.
20. ____I need others so much that I worry that I might lose them.
21. ____I always feel like I have to defend myself in front of others, otherwise they will
intentionally hurt me.
22. ____I am fundamentally different from other people.
23. ____No one I want would like to be with me after knowing me for who I really am. 24.
____I am incompetent when it comes to achieving goals.
25. ____I feel like a dependent person when it comes to what I have to do on a daily basis.
26. ____I feel that a misfortune (natural, criminal, financial or medical) could hit me at any
moment.
27. ____My parents and I tend to get overly involved in each other's lives and problems.
28. ____I feel like I have no choice but to give in to the will of others, otherwise they will
retaliate, become angry, or reject me in some way.
29. ____I am a good person because I think more about others than about myself.
30. ____I find it embarrassing to express my feelings to others.
31. ____ I strive to do my best; I can’t settle for being ‘good enough’.
32. ____ I am special and should not be forced to accept many of the restrictions or limitations
that are imposed on others.
33. ____If I can't achieve a goal, I get easily frustrated and give up.
34. ____ What I can achieve is more valuable to me if it is something that others notice.
35. ____If something good happens, I worry that something bad will happen next.
36. ____If I don't try my best, things can go wrong.
37. ____I've felt like I'm not a special person to anyone.
38. ____ I worry that the people I am connected to will leave or abandon me.
39. ____Sooner or later, I will end up being betrayed by someone.
40. ____I feel like I don’t belong to any group; I'm a loner.
41. ____I do not have enough value to deserve the love, attention and respect of others.
42. ____Most people have more capabilities than me when it comes to work and goals.
43. ____I lack common sense.
44. ____I worry about being physically attacked by someone.
45. ____It's very difficult for me and my parents to have intimate secrets that we don't tell each
other, without feeling betrayed or guilty about it.
46. ____In my relationships with others, I often let them dominate me.
47. ____I'm so busy doing things for the people I care about that I have little time for myself.
48. ____It is difficult for me to be affectionate and spontaneous with others.
49. ____I have to fulfill all my responsibilities and functions accordingly.
50. ____ I hate being repressed or prevented from doing what I want.
51. ____I have a lot of difficulty giving up an immediate reward or pleasure to achieve a long-
term goal.
52. ____I feel unimportant unless I receive a lot of attention from others.
53. ____There is little care; something will almost always go wrong.
54. ____If I don't do my job well, I deserve to suffer the consequences.
55.____I haven't had anyone who listens to me carefully, understands me or understands my true
feelings and needs.
56. ____When I feel like someone I care about is pulling away from me, I feel desperate.
57. ____I am very suspicious of other people's intentions.
58. ____I feel distant or disconnected from others.
59. ____I feel like I can never be loved by anyone.
60. ____I'm not as talented at work as most people.
61. ____My judgment is unreliable in everyday situations.
62. ____I worry that I will lose all the money I have and become very poor or destitute.
63. ____I often feel like my parents live through me; I don't have a life of my own.
64. ____I've always let others choose for me, so I don't really know what I want for myself.
65. ____ I have always been the one to listen to other people's problems.
66. ____ I control myself so much that people think I have no feelings or that I am insensitive.
67. ____I feel constant pressure on me to do things and achieve goals.
68. ____I feel like I shouldn't have to follow the usual rules and conventions that other people
have to follow.
69. ____I can't force myself to do things I don't like, even when I know it's for my own good.
70. ____When I speak at a meeting or when I am introduced to someone in a group, it is
important for me to gain recognition and admiration.
71. ____No matter how hard I work, I worry about being left in poverty and losing almost
everything I own.
72. ____It doesn't matter why I made a mistake; when I do something wrong, I have to suffer the
consequences.
73. ____I haven't had a strong or wise person to give me advice or tell me what to do when I'm
not sure what action to take.
74. ____Sometimes, the worry I have about people leaving me is so great that I end up pushing
them away.
75. ____I am usually looking for ulterior motives or hidden motives behind the behavior of
others.
76. ____ In groups, I always feel outside of them.
77. ____ I am completely unacceptable to be able to show myself as I am to other people or to let
people get to know me well.
78. ____When it comes to work (or school), I'm not as smart as most people.
79. ____I don't have confidence in my abilities to solve problems that arise on a daily basis.
80. ____I worry about developing a serious illness, even though nothing serious has been
diagnosed by a doctor.
81. ____ I often feel like I don't have an identity separate from that of my parents or partner.
82. ____I have a lot of difficulty getting my feelings taken into consideration and my rights
respected.
83. ____ Other people think I do a lot for others and don't do enough for myself.
84. ____ People think I have difficulty expressing how I feel.
85. ____ I cannot carelessly neglect my obligations or make excuses for my mistakes.
86. ____ I feel that what I have to offer is more valuable than what others have to give.
87. ____ I have rarely been able to follow through on my decisions.
88. ____Receiving a lot of praise from others makes me feel like a valuable person.
89. ____ I worry that a wrong decision could lead to a catastrophe.
90. ____ I am a bad person who deserves to be punished.

© 2005 Jeffrey Young, Ph. D. Special thanks to Gary Brown, Ph.D., Scott Kellogg, Ph.D., Glenn Waller, Ph.D., and
the many other therapists and researchers who contributed items and feedback in the development of the YSQ.
Unauthorized reproduction without written consent of the author is prohibited. For more information, write: Schema
Therapy Institute, 36 West 44t