Questionnaire for the analysis of motivational schemas

This study reports on the construction and psychometric evaluation of the F ragebogen zur Analyse Motivationaler Schemas (Questionnaire for the Analysi s of Motivational Schemes) (FAMOS). The FAMOS assesses the motivational goa ls of psychotherapy patients both in self-report and in therapist-report fo rmats. Motivational goals are the central components of motivational schema s. They can be subdivided into approach and avoidance goals. In two prelimi nary studies, items were gathered from case formulations, judged by 786 pat ients, therapists and normal subjects, and revised after statisitical analy ses. Another 562 patients, therapists, and normal subjects completed the re vised questionnaire. Principal component analyses yielded 14 scales for the approach goals and 9 scales for the avoidance goals. Cronbach's alphas wer e satisfactory. Differences between patients and normals as well as substan tial correlations with different measures of distress and well-being demons trate the clinical validity of this measure. The FAMOS can be used as an as sessment tool for case formulations as well as for the measurement of chang e in psychotherapy.