YSQ-R

Created by Jeffrey Young, Ph.D. & Gary Brown, Ph.D.

Name: ___________________________________________________

Date: ___________________________

INSTRUCTIONS:
Listed below are statements that someone might use to describe him or herself. Please read each
statement and decide how well it describes you. When you are not sure, base your answer on what you
emotionally feel, NOT on what you think to be true. Choose the highest rating from 1 to 6 that describes
you and write the number on the line before each statement.

RATING SCALE:
1 = Completely untrue of me 4 = Moderately true of me
2 = Mostly untrue of me 5 = Mostly true of me
3 = Slightly more true than untrue 6 = Describes me perfectly

EXAMPLE:
A. 4 I worry that people will not like me.

1. I haven't gotten enough love and attention.

2. For the most part, I haven't had someone to depend on for advice and emotional support.

3. For much of my life, I haven't had someone who wanted to get close to me and spend a lot of time
with me.

4. For much of my life, I haven't felt that I am special to someone.

5. I have rarely had a strong person to give me sound advice or direction when I'm not sure what to
do.

*ED
6. I worry that people I feel close to will leave me or abandon me.

7. I don't feel that important relationships will last; I expect them to end.

8. I feel addicted to partners who can't be there for me in a committed way.

9. I become upset when someone leaves me alone, even for a short period of time.

10. I can't let myself get very close to other people, because I can't be sure they'll always be there.

11. The people close to me have been very unpredictable: one moment they're available and nice to
me; the next, they're angry, upset, self-absorbed, fighting, etc.

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12. I need other people so much that I worry about losing them.

13. I can't be myself or express what I really feel, or people will leave me.

*AB
14. I feel that I cannot let my guard down in the presence of other people, or else they will
intentionally hurt me.

15. It is only a matter of time before someone betrays me.

16. I have a great deal of difficulty trusting people.

17. I set up "tests" for other people, to see if they are telling me the truth and are well-intentioned.

18. I subscribe to the belief: "Control or be controlled."

*MA
19. I'm fundamentally different from other people.

20. I don't belong; I'm a loner.

21. I always feel on the outside of groups.

22. No one really understands me.

23. I sometimes feel as if I'm an alien.

*SI
24. No one I desire would want to stay close to me if he/she knew the real me.

25. I am inherently flawed and defective.

26. I feel that I'm not lovable.

27. I am too unacceptable in very basic ways to reveal myself to other people.

28. When people like me, I feel I am fooling them.

29. I cannot understand how anyone could love me.

*DS
30. Almost nothing I do at work (or school) is as good as other people can do.

31. Most other people are more capable than I am in areas of work (or school) and achievement.

22. I'm a failure.

33. I'm not as talented as most people are at their work (or at school).

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34. I often feel embarrassed around other people, because I don't measure up to them in terms of my
accomplishments.

35. I often compare my accomplishments with others and feel that they are much more successful.

*FA
36. I do not feel capable of getting by on my own in everyday life.

37. I believe that other people can take of me better than I can take care of myself.

38. I have trouble tackling new tasks outside of work unless I have someone to guide me.

39. I screw up everything I try, even outside of work (or school).

40. If I trust my own judgment in everyday situations, I'll make the wrong decision.

41. I feel that I need someone I can rely on to give me advice about practical issues.

42. I feel more like a child than an adult when it comes to handling everyday responsibilities.

43. I find the responsibilities of everyday life overwhelming.

*DI
44. I feel that a disaster (natural, criminal, financial, or medical) could strike at any moment.

45. I worry about being attacked.

46. I take great precautions to avoid getting sick or hurt.

47. I worry that I'm developing a serious illness, even though nothing serious has been diagnosed by a
physician.

48. I worry a lot about the bad things happening in the world: crime, pollution, etc.

49. I feel that the world is a dangerous place.

*VH
50. My parent(s) and I tend to be overinvolved in each other's lives and problems.

51. It is very difficult for my parent(s) and me to keep intimate details from each other, without
feeling betrayed or guilty.

52. My parent(s) and I must speak to each other almost every day, or else one of us feels guilty, hurt,
disappointed, or alone.

53. I often feel that I do not have a separate identity from my parents or partner.

54. It is very difficult for me to maintain any distance from the people I am intimate with; I have
trouble keeping any separate sense of myself.

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55. I often feel that I have no privacy when it comes to my parent(s) or partner.

56. I feel that my parent(s) are, or would be, very hurt about my living on my own, away from them.

*EM
57. I believe that if I do what I want, I'm only asking for trouble.

58. In relationships, I let the other person have the upper hand.

59. I've always let others make choices for me, so I really don't know what I want for myself.

60. I worry a lot about pleasing other people, so they won't reject me.

61. I will go to much greater lengths than most people to avoid confrontations.

*SB
62. I give more to other people than I get back in return.

63. I'm the one who usually ends up taking care of the people I'm close to.

64. No matter how busy I am, I can always find time for others.

65. I've always been the one who listens to everyone else's problems.

66. Other people see me as doing too much for others and not enough for myself.

67. No matter how much I give; I feel it is never enough.

*SS
68. I worry about losing control of my actions.

69. I worry that I might seriously harm someone physically or emotionally if my anger gets out of
control.

70. I feel that I must control my emotions and impulses, or something bad is likely to happen.

71. A lot of anger and resentment build up inside of me that I don't express.

*FLC
72. I am too self-conscious to show positive feelings to others (e.g., affection, showing I care).

73. I find it embarrassing to express my feelings to others.

74. I find it hard to be warm and spontaneous.

75. I control myself so much that people think I am unemotional.

76. People see me as uptight emotionally.

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*EC
77. I must be the best at most of what I do; I can't accept second best.

78. I strive to keep almost everything in perfect order.

79. I have so much to accomplish that there is almost no time to really relax.

80. I must meet all my responsibilities.

81. I often sacrifice pleasure and happiness to meet my own standards.

82. I can't let myself off the hook easily or make excuses for my mistakes.

83. I always must be Number One, in terms of my performance.

*US
84. I have a lot of trouble accepting "no" for an answer when I want something from other people.

85. I hate to be constrained or kept from doing what I want.

86. I feel that I shouldn't have to follow the normal rules and conventions other people do.

87. I often find that I am so involved in my own priorities that I don't have time to give to friends or
family.

88. People often tell me I am very controlling about the ways things are done.

89. I can't tolerate other people telling me what to do.

*ET
90. I can't seem to discipline myself to complete routine or boring tasks.

91. Often I allow myself to carry through on impulses and express emotions that get me into trouble
or hurt other people.

92. I get bored very easily.

93. When tasks become difficult, I usually cannot persevere and complete them.

94. I can't force myself to do things I don't enjoy, even when I know it's for my own good.

95. I have rarely been able to stick to my resolutions.

96. I often do things impulsively that I later regret.

*IS
97. It is important to me to be liked by almost everyone I know.

98. I change myself depending on the people I’m with, so they’ll like me more.

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99. My self-esteem is based mostly on how other people view me.

100. Even if I don’t like someone, I still want him or her to like me.

101. Unless I get a lot of attention from others, I feel less important.

*AS
102. You can’t be too careful; something will almost always go wrong.

103. I worry that a wrong decision could lead to disaster.

104. I often obsess over minor decisions, because the consequences of making a mistake seem so
serious.

105. I feel better assuming things will not work out for me, so that I don’t feel disappointed if things
go wrong.

106. I tend to be pessimistic.

107. If people get too enthusiastic about something, I become uncomfortable and feel like warning
them of what could go wrong.

*NP
108. If I make a mistake, I deserve to be punished.

109. There is no excuse if I make mistake.

110. If I don’t do the job, I should suffer the consequences.

111. It doesn’t matter why I make a mistake; when I do something wrong, I should pay the price.

112. I’m a bad person who deserves to be punished.

*PUS
113. People who don’t “pull their own weight” should get punished in some way.

114. Most of the time, I don’t accept the excuses other people make. They’re just not willing to
accept responsibility and pay the consequences.

115. I hold grudges, even after someone has apologized.

116. I get angry when people make excuses for themselves or blame other people for their problems.

*PUO

© 2003, Jeffrey Young, Ph.D., and Gary Brown, Ph.D. Unauthorized reproduction without written consent of the authors is prohibited. For more
information, write: Schema Therapy Institute, 36 West 44 th Street, Suite 1007, New York, NY 10036.