Maher Institute Inc Iranian Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 3115-848X 4 2025 06 01 Effectiveness of Schema Mode Therapy on Ambivalence in Emotional Expression and Defense Styles in Individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder Effectiveness of Schema Mode Therapy on Ambivalence in Emotional Expression and Defense Styles in Individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder 1 8 10.61838/kman.jndd.4.2.18 EN Journal Article 2025 03 14 <p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema mode therapy on ambivalence in emotional expression and defense styles in individuals with narcissistic personality disorder.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>This semi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group and follow-up. The statistical population consisted of individuals with narcissistic personality disorder who referred to counseling centers in Shiraz during 2023-2024. A total of 60 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (30) and a control group (30). The research instruments included the Emotional Expressivity Questionnaire (EEQ), the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), and structured clinical interviews. The experimental group underwent 12 weekly 90-minute sessions of schema mode therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis and Bonferroni post hoc tests.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results indicated that schema mode therapy significantly increased positive emotional expression and intimacy while decreasing negative emotional expression in the experimental group (P&lt;0.01). Additionally, a significant increase in mature defense styles and a reduction in neurotic and immature defense styles were observed in the experimental group (P&lt;0.01).</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Schema mode therapy is an effective approach for improving emotional expression ambivalence and transitioning from maladaptive to adaptive defense styles. This therapeutic method can be considered a suitable clinical intervention for individuals with narcissistic personality disorder.</p> Schema mode therapy emotional ambivalence defense styles narcissistic personality disorder emotional expression https://www.maherpub.com/index.php/jndd/article/download/528/433