Cognitive schemas are a set of rules and beliefs that a person develops over the course of life and through experience. These patterns become part of thinking and determine behavior and the way you interact with the world around you, people and yourself. Cognitive schemas can be called thought patterns that help people quickly respond to repeated sets of life situations. However, if the cognitive schema does not change over time, according to the demands and demands of the changing environment, then it becomes maladaptive and ceases to help. Cognitive patterns that have lost their effectiveness become the cause of negative emotions and unproductive behavior. They begin to prevent a person from adapting to new situations or limit the ability to change. For example, if a person has formed the “Everything must be perfect” scheme, then the person will begin to over-control his life. Or he will take aim at something that is not outside his control. This approach will lead to excessive anxiety and stress when an unexpected situation knocks on the door. If a person has formed the “I must always be right” schema, then it can become a significant reason for conflicts with others and difficulties in building relationships. If the cognitive schema turns out to be maladaptive, then over time the negative effects will begin to emerge more and more clearly. The negative impact on the psychological state will also increase. For example, if a person regularly found himself in difficult situations and his only solution was to avoid the problem, then such a pattern can lead to social isolation, a feeling of deep loneliness and social phobia. And the more often a person uses this pattern, the more tangible the consequences are, the more he wants to run away. The circle is closed. Cognitive schemes can be changed. To do this, a person needs to realize the shortcomings of his behavior patterns and look at them critically. Psychotherapy will help to avoid the growth of maladaptive cognitive patterns. Cognitive-behavioral approaches, including REBT, are aimed at identifying interfering thought patterns and replacing them with more productive and constructive ones..