Positive Schemas: Replication, Associations With Negative Schemas, and the Dark Triad

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to replicate the factor structure of the 14 positive schemas identified in the earlier study by Louis et al. (2018). Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and Multi-group CFA, the 14 positive schemas were found to be robust across four new non-clinical English-speaking community samples – USA ( n = 396), South Africa ( n = 390), Nigeria ( n = 364), and India ( n = 306). Further, results from CFA, and chi square tests showed that positive and negative schemas were independent but related constructs, and that they do not reflect bipolarity. Using hierarchical regression and Pearson’s correlations the negative schemas of Entitlement, Approval Seeking and Mistrust, and the positive schema of Empathic Consideration were found to be associated positively and negatively respectively with Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy of the Dark Triad scale in all four worldwide samples. Implications of this finding in Schema Therapy treatment were discussed.