The 12 Types Of Obsessions (symptoms And Characteristics)
Obsessions are intrusive, irrational and recurring thoughts, ideas or images (that appear over and over again), and that feel out of the control of the person who suffers from them.
Generally, The obsessive person does not want to have these ideas or thoughtswhich usually cause anxiety or discomfort and you try to avoid them. The behaviors carried out to avoid obsessions are called compulsions. This obsession-compulsion routine is what is known as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).
The irrational thoughts that can lead to compulsive acts can vary depending on the individual. Some people may have superstitious thoughts that cause anxiety, others may believe that everything is contaminated and must be cleansed to avoid illness, and Others can take order to a pathological extreme due to perfectionist thoughts..
Obsessive people have some characteristics in common. According to the Obsessive-Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG), the most important cognitive variables that affect this condition are:
Types of obsessions
Obsessions can be classified in different ways. But… What are these ways of classification?
Below we present a list of the different types of obsessions.
Depending on whether the obsession feels unacceptable or realistic, there are two types.
1. Autogenic obsessions
This type of ego-dystonic obsessions, that is, they feel disgusting, unacceptable, inconsistent with one’s own self-concept. They appear abruptly in consciousness without the evocative stimuli being identified. They include sexual, aggressive and immoral thoughts or impulses.
2. Reactive obsessions
These thoughts are perceived as realistic and rational and the evocative stimuli are external and identifiable. For example. catastrophic thoughts, about pollution, about asymmetry, etc.
According to the content
The contents of the obsessions can vary. These are the different types of obsession depending on the content.
3. Symmetric or order obsessions
One of the most frequent obsessions has its origins in the need to have everything aligned symmetrically. and correctly ordered. The compulsions associated with this type of obsession consist of ensuring that everything is in order and well placed, otherwise the subject would suffer great discomfort or anxiety.
Some characteristic behaviors of this type of thoughts are:
People who suffer from this type of OCD spend a lot of time trying to have everything perfect, which is why they are said to be perfectionists. In extreme cases, the person may prevent other individuals from coming to their home so that they do not leave anything disorganized or out of place.
4. Obsessions about pollution
As their name suggests, these people think that the environment may be contaminated. For example, when they go to the bathroom, they think that when their skin comes into contact with the door cloth they may suffer some type of illness. This makes them have the need to compulsively clean and wash themselves.
Cleansing or washing is often carried out several times a day, with repetitive hand or body washing rituals until the person feels they are clean. Individuals with these types of obsessions can avoid:
5. Obsessions due to mental contamination
This type of obsession is similar to the previous one, but it does not have to do with someone coming into contact with potentially dirty or contaminated objects or environments, but instead Thoughts of mental contamination arise when the person feels mistreated, physically or mentally.through critical or verbally abusive comments.
This causes her to feel dirty, but dirty internally.
6. Sensorimotor obsessions
Sensorimotor obsessions have to do with an exaggerated awareness of certain bodily sensations. Some examples are:
7. Sexual obsessions
These obsessions are thoughts about causing involuntary sexual harm, or about constantly questioning one’s own sexuality.. A person who experiences these types of intrusive thoughts will avoid public places, such as shopping malls, or schools to avoid coming into close contact with children.
Some examples are:
8. Homosexual obsessions
These are thoughts similar to the previous ones, but They are characterized by the fear of being attracted to members of the same sex. Both the previous point and this one make the person feel so ashamed that they are unable to seek help.
9. Obsessions to commit violent acts
These obsessions are characterized by the fear of carrying out violent acts against loved ones or other people.. That is why they will avoid situations in which some acts like these may occur:
Use of kitchen knives and other sharp objects (the compulsion would consist of hiding or avoiding sharp objects).
Violently harming children or loved ones.
Kill innocent people.
Thoughts about accidentally touching someone inappropriately, with the aim of hurting them.
These obsessions cause people to fixate on religion and religious practice.. Which causes a series of compulsive behaviors such as, for example, that some prayers have to be said over and over again, prayers have to be omitted or recited incorrectly or it is necessary to shout blasphemous words out loud in a religious place. Obsessive thoughts can include worry about committing sins or offending God, not praying enough, or fear of not being forgiven, among others.
11. Catastrophizing Obsessions
This type of obsession is characterized by the person thinking that something bad will happen if they do not carry out the compulsion.. For example, fear of committing negligence, of a robbery occurring if you do not close the door, or of being responsible for a catastrophe.
12. Obsessions due to lack of control
The person has obsessive thoughts about losing control. For example: doubts or worries that one may lose control of oneself, thoughts of saying racist words, thoughts of saying offensive comments, or thoughts of participating in theft.
