Author: Christof Loose

Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC)
aged 8-14 years
Name/Code: ___________________ Today‘s date:___________

27.06.2018

I am a...
 boy
 girl

Hi! This questionnaire is about typical thoughts and feelings of children.
We are curious about what experiences you have made. There are no
right and no wrong answers. Please try to be honest. If you do not want to answer a question, you can just leave this
one out and go on to the next one.
Participation is voluntary and you can
stop at any time. How it works: The child
in the picture has received a gift that it is
not pleased with. He or she feels sad.
Read the sentences below carefully
(A and B) and make a cross in each line.

Example: Wrong gift

What experiences have you made with receiving presents?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
A. I’m happy about my presents.
B. I feel sad, because I expected bigger presents.

Some sentences describe lovely things (Example A), some are not as nice (Example B). Please read the sentences carefully so that you understand them properly. On the following pages you’ll see 18 pictures. For each picture two statements are made: The question always is: How often do these thoughts or feelings come to your mind? Please make only one cross each line. The crosses should be made in the middle of the answer box, not at the edge. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Page #

"When I have to do homework, I often do something pleasant instead. Once I managed to begin with the homework, I often interrupt my work."

Bild 1

is

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
1. I get upset really quickly if something takes longer than intended.
2. I cannot stand waiting for something.

Page #

"My friendships often come at a price. Often I also do not dare to give my opinion. Then I do what others demand from me.“

Bild 2

sb

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
3. I prefer letting other people decide, because I do not want get into conflict.
4. The opinion of others is more important to me than my own.

Page #

"I bet they are making fun of me!"
The child would like to play with other children. However, he or she thinks that the others do not want that. The child mistrusts them.

Bild 3:

ma

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
5. I think that my friends will betray me sooner or later.
6. I think that other people take advantage of me.

Page #

Bild 4:

ds

"I often feel worthless, because I have difficulties with some things. Then others probably don’t like me."
Children sometimes feel worthless, for example when they made a mistake or disappointed others.

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
7. I cannot understand how someone can like me.
8. I am not worth to be loved.

Page #

"Sometimes I have the feeling that no one is like me. I believe that I think and feel differently."
Due to such feelings and thoughts children sometimes seclude themselves.

Bild 5

si

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
9. I do not like spending time with other people.
10. I prefer to stay on my own, rather than joining a group.

Page #

Bild 6

"I often feel small and not brave enough to do a lot of things.“
This child is very insecure.

di

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
11. I need a lot of support in my daily routine. Otherwise, I become overtaxed.
12. Without the help of my parents I can hardly do anything.

Page #

"Once again I got a bad grade. I sometimes think that I'm a complete failure.“

Bild 7

fa

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
13. No matter what I do at school, others are always better than me.
14. My perfomance is poor, and it will always remain so.

Page #

Some children expect horrible things happening to them (for example on a Friday, the 13th or if they come across a black cat).
For example they are scared of getting sick. Some children are also worried that their families could become poor.

Bild 8

Bild 8

vu

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
15. I have the feeling that any moment could turn into a catastrophe.
16. I am afraid that something bad might happen.

Page #

"I often see my parents sad or angry, because someone did not behave correctly or something bad happened. Then I often comfort my parents, as in the picture below, by giving a handkerchief to my crying mother. However, sometimes my own problems are already too much for me."

Bild 9

em

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
17. When my parents have problems, I instantly feel bad.
18. I feel responsible for the lives of my parents.

Page 11

"I often think that the rules that apply to others are not valid for me. And if I really want something, I’m hard to stop: It’s hard for me to take „no“ as an answer.“

Bild 10

et

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
19. Others call me the know-it-all.
20. Others should do what I want.

Page #

"Ouch, that hurts!" The child stumbles down the stairs, but the parents do not even notice. If something like that happens to a child, he or she sometimes has the feeling that no one really cares about him/her and that he or she might not be loved.

Bild 11

ed

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
21. I don’t get any attention or love.
22. No one really takes time for me.

Page #

"That‘s weird. All children are picked up. Apart from me!" Children sometimes think that their fellow human beings will not be there when they need them.

Bild 12

ab

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
23. I'm sure that my family and friends will always be there for me.
24. I believe that my family and friends will stay by my side in every situation.

Page #

"If someone is not doing well, I'll help. Mostly I'm the one who helps others. Others sometimes try to take advantage of that."

Bild 13

ss

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
25. If you ask me for help, I’ll do anything, even if I’m incapable of doing it.
26. I have no time for myself, because I take care of others all the time.

Page #

"It is important for me to belong to the coolest and most good-looking people of my peer group. Without the special acknowledgement of the others I simply do not feel comfortable."

Bild 14

as

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
27. It's important for me that people around me tell how great I am. Otherwise I don’t feel good.
28. Owning modern clothes and knowing cool people, gives me the feeling of being special.

Page #

Some children need a lot of lucky charms such as lucky pigs, clover leafs, horseshoes or even imagine chimney sweepers. Otherwise, they believe that they will always have bad luck in life.

Bild 15:

np

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
29. Most of the things in my life are bad or will turn out badly.
30. I’m not good at taking decisions, because I’m scared of the consequences.

Page #

"There are moments when I do not know how to express my feelings, such as when other kids are joyful and celebrate. I can not really share their joys then."

Bild 16

ei

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
31. Showing feelings is totally embarrassing.
32. Others are not supposed to know when I'm anxious, angry or sad.

Page #

"I sometimes make mistakes. Then I could tear off my own hair! I mean, if someone makes a mistake, he or she must be punished."

Bild 17

pu

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
33. If I make mistakes, I deserve to be punished.
34. There must be some kind of punishment! This applies to all those who make mistakes, it does not matter whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally.

Page #

"I just want to be the best.
If I come second, I’ll feel bad."

Bild 18

us

What about you?	True of me ...
	always	often	seldom	never
35. I put myself under a lot of pressure to show me and the others, how good I am.
36. The most important thing in my life is to be good at school.

End
You've done it. Please have a look once again, whether you made a cross in each line. If you made a cross exactly in the middle of two boxes, please decide where it belongs. However, if you do not want to answer a question, you can simply leave this line out or cross out your choice.
Thank you very much for participating. If you have any questions, feel free to talk to us.
The Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC).
Loose, Meyer, & Pietrowsky (2018). The Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema
Questionnaire for Children (DISC). Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 31:7.
— For personal use and research only —
© Copyright: Department of Clinical Psychology ● Institute of Experimental Psychology ● Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf ● Germany

Many thanks!

Cartoons: Jenny Hampel