| This is a case study using Jeffrey Young's schema-focused theory to analyze Philip Carey, an autobiographical literary character in W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage. The novel provides the reader with a fixed set of data and a rich life history that begins with the death of Philip's mother at which time he is left as a club-footed orphan at the age of nine. Maugham's narrative takes us through Philip's early childhood, adolescence, and adulthood until the age of thirty. Creating a dialogue between Young's theory and Maugham' s character offers a useful therapeutic model in that schema-focused theory is particularly interested in the origins of maladaptive schemas, which develop early in life as the result of unmet core needs. Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) are enduring life themes and patterns that have a negative impact on how one experiences his environment and relationships. Maugham's novel provides us with an opportunity to elucidate schema-focused therapy through the process of identifying Philip's temperament, his early maladaptive schemas, his long-term maladaptive coping styles, and his schema modes. Furthermore, it will allow for the examination of the role that Philip's EMSs play in his partner choices. |
