Research article summary (published 27 Feb 1997):

Abnormal and normal compulsions.

Full Abstract

Previous research by Rachman and de Silva (1978, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 16, 233-248) and by Salkovskis and Harrison (1984, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 22, 549-552) has shown that abnormal and normal obsessions are similar in content. The present study examined whether the same is true for abnormal and normal rituals. A sample of normal subjects (N = 150) were asked about their idiosyncratic rituals. A majority of them (54.7%) indicated that they had such rituals. While these rituals were less frequent, less intense, and less often associated with negative affect than the compulsions of a sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, differences in terms of content between normal and abnormal rituals were small. Experts often tended to misclassify abnormal compulsions as normal rituals. By and large, the present findings indicate that there is continuity between abnormal and normal compulsions.

Author information

Author/s: Muris, P (P); Merckelbach, H (H); Clavan, M (M);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Behaviour research and therapy (Behav Res Ther), published in ENGLAND. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1997-Mar; vol 35 (issue 3) : pp 249-52

Dates: Created 1997/04/21; Completed 1997/04/21; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 9125105, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Adult Aged Compulsive Behavior - classification; diagnosis; psychology Female Humans Male Middle Aged

Middle Aged Obsessive Behavior - classification; diagnosis; psychology Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - classification; diagnosis; psychology Personality Assessment - statistics & numerical data Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data Psychometrics Reference Values Stereotyped Behavior

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