ABSTRACT
The compulsive behaviour that is characteristic of many people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs) is in many ways the purest example of abnormal behaviour. For these people, the repetitive execution of essentially irrational actions, such as washing their hands over and over again, can be a source of considerable distress. People whose behaviour is in most respects well within rational borders carry out acts that they recognize to be senseless; this is irrational behaviour. To a considerable extent they are executing urges against their rational inclinations; their compulsion is relatively out of control. Obsessions are recurrent, unwanted, intrusive thoughts that generally have a repugnant quality and that the affected person tries to resist. The main themes of obsessions are unacceptable religious thoughts/images, unacceptable sexual thoughts/impulses, and unacceptable thoughts of harming other people.
