Impaired Limits

Where self-discipline collapses, entitlement grows, or impulsivity runs the show.

Overview

This domain forms when a person doesn’t internalize appropriate boundaries, structure, or frustration tolerance. Sometimes, needs were overindulged. Other times, limits were never modelled at all.

The result?
Difficulty regulating impulses.
Struggles with follow-through.
And behaviours that serve immediate relief over long-term stability.

At ShiftGrit, we see this schema domain in clients who feel chaotic, reactive, or “out of sync” with others. It’s not a character flaw — it’s a missing scaffold.

Schemas Within This Domain

These schemas reflect difficulty with internal structure and external boundaries:

• Entitlement/Grandiosity: “The rules don’t apply to me.”

• Insufficient Self-Control: “I shouldn’t have to wait or restrain myself.”

How This Shows Up

• Chronic impulsivity or avoidance of effort

• Frustration with routines, rules, or discipline

• Feeling “too much” or “not enough” in social settings

• Resistance to accountability or structure

• Trouble delaying gratification

How We Treat This

We don’t enforce discipline — we rebuild internal limits from the inside out.

1. Trace the missing scaffold: What emotional gap led to this structure breakdown?

2. Reprocess the root: Use imaginal exposure to defuse reactivity, defiance, or collapse

3. Rebuild capacity: Introduce tolerable structure and reward patterns to stabilize behaviour

🔗 Related Lifetraps in This Domain

• Entitlement/Grandiosity

• Insufficient Self-Control