The defectiveness/shame schema is a deeply held belief that one is flawed, inferior, or unlovable. It typically forms in contexts of critical, rejecting, or devaluing childhood environments. This schema influences interpretations of social feedback, driving avoidance, self-criticism, and interpersonal instability. ## Core Functions - Organizing self-related cognitions - Filtering social cues through expectations of inadequacy ## Key Components - Global negative self-evaluation - Anticipation of rejection or humiliation - Heightened shame sensitivity ## Systems Interactions - Increased DMN activity during self-referential rumination - Limbic hyperreactivity to negative self-relevant cues ## Clinical Relevance - Strongly associated with depression, social anxiety, and borderline pathology ## Related Topics - [[Maladaptive Schemas]] - [[Shame]] - [[Cognitive Models of Psychopathology]]