Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-5b777bbd6c-7sgmh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-25T05:51:53.127Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

12 - Self processes in obsessive–compulsive disorder

from Section 3 - The self in specific psychological disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2016

Michael Kyrios
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
Richard Moulding
Affiliation:
Deakin University, Victoria
Guy Doron
Affiliation:
Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
Sunil S. Bhar
Affiliation:
Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria
Maja Nedeljkovic
Affiliation:
Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria
Mario Mikulincer
Affiliation:
Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
Get access
Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Aardema, F., Moulding, R., Radomsky, A. S., et al. (2013). Fear of self and obsessionality: Development and validation of the Fear of Self Questionnaire. Journal of Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders, 2(3), 306315. doi: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.05.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aardema, F., & O’Connor, K. (2007). The menace within: Obsessions and the self. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 21, 182197. doi: 10.1891/088983907781494573CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abramovitch, A. , Doron, G., Sar-El, D., & Altenburger, E.(2013). Subtle threats to moral self-perceptions trigger obsessive–compulsive related cognitions. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 37(6), 11321139. doi: 10.1007/s10608-013-9568-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahern, C. (2013). The role of self-construals in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. Swinburne University of Technology.Google Scholar
Ahern, C., Kyrios, M., & Mouding, R. (2015). Self-based concepts and obsessive-compulsive phenomena. Psychopathology.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.Google Scholar
Bhar, S., & Kyrios, M. (2000). Ambivalent self-esteem as meta-vulnerability for obsessive–compulsive disorder. In Craven, R. G. & Marsh, H. W. (Eds.), Self-Concept Theory, Research and Practice: Advances from the New Millennium, Proceedings of the Inaugural International Conference, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia, October 5–6, 2000 (pp. 143156) Parramatta, NSW: SELF Research Centre, University of Western Sydney.Google Scholar
Bhar, S., & Kyrios, M. (2007). An investigation of self-ambivalence in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(8), 18451857. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2007.02.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bhar, S., Kyrios, M., & Hordern, C. (2015). Self-ambivalence in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Psychopathology.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bosson, J. K. (2006). Conceptualization, measurement, and functioning of nonconscious self-esteem. In Kernis, M. (Ed.), Self-esteem Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives (pp. 5359). London: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment (Vol. 1). New York, NY: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Briñol, P., Petty, R. E., & Wheeler, S. C. (2006). Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-concepts: Consequences for information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 154170. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.91.1.154CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, D. A. (2004). Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for OCD. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Clark, D. A., Purdon, C., & Byers, E. S. (2000). Appraisal and control of sexual and non-sexual intrusive thoughts in university students. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(5), 439455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, D. A., & Rhyno, S. (2004). Unwanted intrusive thoughts in nonclinical individuals: Implications for clinical disorders. In Clark, D. A. (Ed.), Intrusive Thoughts in Clinical Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Crocker, J., & Park, L. E. (2004). The costly pursuit of self-esteem. Psychology Bulletin, 130(3), 392414. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DeMarree, K. G., Morrison, K. R., Wheeler, S. C., & Petty, R. E. (2011). Self-ambivalence and resistance to subtle self-change attempts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(5), 674686. doi: 10.1177/0146167211400097CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dijksterhuis, A., Albers, L. W., & Bongers, K. (2009). Digging for the real attitude: Lessons from research on implicit and explicit self-esteem. In Petty, R., Fazio, R., & Brinol, P. (Eds.), Attitudes: Insights from the New Wave of Implicit Measures (pp. 229250). New York, NY: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Doron, G., & Kyrios, M. (2005). Obsessive compulsive disorder: A review of possible specific internal representations within a broader cognitive theory. Clinical Psychology Review, 25(4), 415432. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2005.02.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doron, G., Kyrios, M., & Moulding, R. (2007). Sensitive domains of self-concept in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): Further evidence for a multidimensional model of OCD. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21(3), 433444. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.05.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doron, G., & Moulding, R. (2009). Cognitive behavioral treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: A broader framework. The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 46(4), 257263.Google ScholarPubMed
Doron, G., Moulding, R., Kyrios, M., & Nedeljkovic, M. (2008). Sensitivity of self-beliefs in obsessive compulsive disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 25(10), 874884. doi: 10.1002/da.20369CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doron, G., Sar-El, D., & Mikulincer, M. (2012). Threats to moral self-perceptions trigger obsessive compulsive contamination-related behavioral tendencies. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 43(3), 884890.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doron, G., Szepsenwol, O., Elad-Strenger, J., Hargil, E., & Bogoslavsky, B. (2013). Entity perceptions of morality and character are associated with obsessive compulsive phenomena. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 32(7), 733752. doi: 10.1521/jscp.2013.32.7.733CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S. C. (2002). Predictive validity of an Implicit Association Test for assessing anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(6), 14411455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ehntholt, K. A., Salkovskis, P. M., & Rimes, K. A. (1999). Obsessive–compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, and self-esteem: An exploratory study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37(8), 771781.10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00177-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fava, G. A., Savron, G., Rafanelli, C., Grandi, S., & Canestrari, R. (1996). Prodromal symptoms in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Psychopathology, 29(2), 131134.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferrier, S., & Brewin, C. R. (2005). Feared identity and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43(10), 13631374. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2004.10.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foa, E. B., Kozak, M. J., Goodman, W. K., et al. (1995). DSM-IV field trial: Obsessive–compulsive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(1), 9096. doi: 10.1176/ajp.152.1.90Google ScholarPubMed
Foster, J. D., Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2007). Linking adult attachment to self-esteem stability. Self and Identity, 6(1), 6473. doi: 10.1080/15298860600832139CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frost, R. O., Kyrios, M., McCarthy, K. D., & Matthews, Y. (2007). Self-ambivalence and attachment to possessions. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 21(3), 232242. doi: 10.1891/088983907781494582CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García-Soriano, G., Clark, D. A., Belloch, A., del Palacio, A., & Castañeiras, C. (2012). Self-worth contingencies and obsessionality: A promising approach to vulnerability? Journal of Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders, 1(3), 196202. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2012.05.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guidano, V., & Liotti, G. (1983). Cognitive Processes and Emotional Disorders. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Harter, S., & Whitesell, N. R. (2003). Beyond the debate: Why some adolescents report stable self-worth over time and situation, whereas others report changes in self-worth. Journal of Personality, 71(6), 10271058.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychology Review, 94(3), 319340. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.94.3.319CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kempke, S., & Luyten, P. (2007). Psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches of obsessive–compulsive disorder: Is it time to work through our ambivalence? Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 71(4), 291311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Labuschagne, I., Castle, D. J., Dunai, J., Kyrios, M., & Rossell, S. L. (2010). An examination of delusional thinking and cognitive styles in body dysmorphic disorder. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(8), 706712. doi: 10.3109/00048671003671007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lipton, M. G., Brewin, C. R., Linke, S., & Halperin, J. (2010). Distinguishing features of intrusive images in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24(8), 816822. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.06.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lupien, S. P., Seery, M. D., & Almonte, J. L. (2010). Discrepant and congruent high self-esteem: Behavioral self-handicapping as a preemptive defensive strategy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(6), 11051108. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2010.05.022CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsh, H. W., Parada, R. H., & Ayotte, V. (2004). A multidimensional perspective of relations between self-concept (Self Description Questionnaire II) and adolescent mental health (Youth Self-Report). Psychological Assessment, 16(1), 2741. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.16.1.27CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKay, D., Abramowitz, J. S., Calamari, J. E., et al. (2004). A critical evaluation of obsessive-compulsive disorder subtypes: Symptoms versus mechanisms. Clinical Psychology Review, 24(3), 283313. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2004.04.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moretti, M. M., & Higgins, E. T. (1999). Internal representations of others in self-regulation: A new look at a classic issue. Social Cognition, 17(2), 186208.10.1521/soco.1999.17.2.186CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moulding, R., Aardema, F., & O’Connor, K. P. (2014). Repugnant obsessions: A review of the phenomenology, theoretical models, and treatment of sexual and aggressive obsessional themes in OCD. Journal of Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders, 3(2), 161168. doi: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.11.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholson, E., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2012). Developing an implicit measure of disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity: Examining the role of implicit disgust propensity and sensitivity in obsessive–compulsive tendencies. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 43, 922930. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2012.02.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nicholson, E., Dempsey, K., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2014). The role of responsibility and threat appraisals in contamination fear and obsessive–compulsive tendencies at the implicit level. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3(1), 3137. doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2013.11.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholson, E., McCourt, A., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2013). The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a measure of obsessive beliefs in relation to disgust. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 2(1–2), 2330. doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2013.02.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ObsessiveCompulsive Cognitions Working Group. (1997). Cognitive assessment of Obsessive– Compulsive Disorder, Behaviour Research & Therapy, 35, 667681.10.1016/S0005-7967(97)00017-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
ObsessiveCompulsive Cognitions Working Group. (2005) Psychometric validation of the obsessive belief questionnaire and interpretation of intrusions inventory: Part 2, factor analyses and testing of a brief version. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 43, 15271542.10.1016/j.brat.2004.07.010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olson, M. A., Fazio, R. H., & Hermann, A. D. (2007). Reporting tendencies underlie discrepancies between implicit and explicit measures of self-esteem. Psychological Science, 18(4), 287291. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01890.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Neill, S. A. (1999). Living with obsessive–compulsive disorder: A case study of a woman’s construction of self. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 12(1), 73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orth, U., Robins, R. W., & Meier, L. L. (2009). Disentangling the effects of low self-esteem and stressful events on depression: Findings from three longitudinal studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(2), 307321. doi: 10.1037/a0015645CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perera-Delcourt, R., Nash, R. A., & Thorpe, S. J. (2014). Priming moral self-ambivalence heightens deliberative behaviour in self-ambivalent individuals. Behaviour and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 42(6), 682692. doi: 10.1017/S1352465813000507CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petty, R. E., Briñol, P., Tormala, Z. L., Blair, W., & Jarvis, G. (2006). Implicit ambivalence from attitude change: An exploration of the PAST model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(1), 2141. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.90.1.21CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, B., Moulding, R., Kyrios, M., Nedeljkovic, M., & Mancuso, S. (2011). The relationship between body dysmorphic disorder symptoms and self-construals. Clinical Psychologist, 15(1), 1016. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-9552.2011.00004.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purdon, C., & Clark, D. A. (1999). Metacognition and obsessions. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 6(2), 102110.3.0.CO;2-5>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rachman, S. (1997). A cognitive theory of obsessions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35(9), 793802. doi: 10.1016/S0005-7967(97)00040-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rachman, S., & de Silva, P. (1978). Abnormal and normal obsessions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 16(4), 233248. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(78)90022-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rasmussen, S. A., & Eisen, J. L. (1994). The epidemiology and differential diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 55(Suppl.), 510; discussion 1114.Google ScholarPubMed
Rasmussen, S. A., & Tsuang, M. T. (1986). Clinical characteristics and family history in DSM-III obsessive–compulsive disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143(3), 317322.Google ScholarPubMed
Rassin, E., Muris, P., Schmidt, H., & Merckelbach, H. (2000). Relationships between thought–action fusion, thought suppression and obsessive–compulsive symptoms: A structural equation modeling approach. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(9), 889897.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riketta, M., & Ziegler, R. (2007). Self-ambivalence and reactions to success versus failure. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37(3), 547560. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.376CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowa, K., & Purdon, C. (2003). Why are certain intrusive thoughts more upsetting than others? Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 31(1), 111. doi: 10.1017/S1352465803001024CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowa, K., Purdon, C., Summerfeldt, L. J., & Antony, M. M. (2005). Why are some obsessions more upsetting than others? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43(11), 14531465. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2004.11.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rudolph, A., Schröder-Abé, M., Riketta, M., & Schütz, A. (2010). Easier when done than said! Implicit self-esteem predicts observed or spontaneous behavior, but not self-reported or controlled behavior. Journal of Psychology, 218(1), 1219. doi: 10.1027/0044-3409/a000003Google Scholar
Salkovskis, P. (1989). Cognitive-behavioural factors and the persistence of intrusive thoughts in obsessional problems. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 27(6), 677682; discussion 683674.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salkovskis, P., Thorpe, S. J., Wahl, K., Wroe, A. L., & Forrester, E. (2003). Neutralizing increases discomfort associated with obsessional thoughts: An experimental study with obsessional patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(4), 709715. doi: 10.1037/0021-843x.112.3.709CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salkovskis, P., Westbrook, D., Davis, J., Jeavons, A., & Gledhill, A. (1997). Effects of neutralizing on intrusive thoughts: An experiment investigating the etiology of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35(3), 211219. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(96)00112-xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schröder-Abé, M., Rudolph, A., & Schütz, A. (2007). High implicit self-esteem is not necessarily advantageous: Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem and their relationship with anger expression and psychological health. European Journal of Personality, 21(3), 319339. doi: 10.1002/per.626CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shafran, R., Thordarson, D. S., & Rachman, S. (1996). Thought–action fusion in obsessive compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 10(5), 379391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spalding, L. R., & Hardin, C. D. (1999). Unconscious unease and self-handicapping: Behavioral consequences of individual differences in implicit and explicit self-esteem. Psychological Science, 10(6), 535539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teachman, B. A. (2007). Linking obsessional beliefs to OCD symptoms in older and younger adults. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(7), 16711681. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.08.016CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teachman, B. A., & Clerkin, E. M. (2007). Obsessional beliefs and the implicit and explicit morality of intrusive thoughts. Cognition and Emotion, 21(5), 9991024. doi: 10.1080/02699930600985576CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teachman, B. A., Woody, S. R., & Magee, J. C. (2006). Implicit and explicit appraisals of the importance of intrusive thoughts. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(6), 785805. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2005.05.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Bockstaele, B., Verschuere, B., Koster, E. H. W., et al. (2011). Differential predictive power of self report and implicit measures on behavioural and physiological fear responses to spiders. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 79(2), 166174. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.10.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vater, A., Ritter, K., Schröder-Abé, M., et al. (2013). When grandiosity and vulnerability collide: Implicit and explicit self-esteem in patients with narcissistic personality disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 44(1), 3747. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2012.07.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vater, A., Schröder-Abé, M., Schütz, A., Lammers, C. H., & Roepke, S. (2010). Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are linked to symptom severity in borderline personality disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 41(4), 357364. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.03.007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization. (2015). Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder. In International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th ed.). http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2015/ensssssss/F42.0Google Scholar
Wu, K. D., Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (2006). Relations between Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and personality: Beyond Axis I–Axis II comorbidity. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20(6), 695717. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2005.11.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeigler-Hill, V. (2006). Discrepancies between implicit and explicit self-esteem: Implications for narcissism and self-esteem instability. Journal of Personality, 74(1), 119144. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00371.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeigler-Hill, V. (2011). The connections between self-esteem and psychopathology. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 41(3), 157164. doi: 10.1007/s10879-010-9167-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeigler-Hill, V., & Terry, C. (2007). Perfectionism and explicit self-esteem: The moderating role of implicit self-esteem. Self and Identity, 6(3–4), 137153. doi: 10.1080/15298860601118850CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×