Scrupulosity, Sexual Ruminations and Cleaning in Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder Publisher



Ghassemzadeh H¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Linguistic Taboo Revisited: Novel Insights from Cognitive Perspectives Published:2018

Abstract

A major goal of this chapter is an exploration of the nature of taboo and the concept of scrupulosity as appear in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There are many religious unacceptable thoughts and taboos, which show themselves in the forms of doubts, blasphemies, and moral transgressions with sexual nature. Sexual obsessions and ruminations with different forms and contents are one of the main sources of distress in OCD patients. In many cultures washing and cleaning has been advised to get rid of such distresses. One important aspect of washing in OCD is the fact that cleaning does not necessarily take place because of physical contaminations, as most often the individual is aware that his/her acts are excessive and senseless. As a conclusion, it has been emphasized that many aspects of obsessive-compulsive pattern of behavior have been shaped in the evolutionary history of mankind. Although these aspects might be considered as pathological today, they have probably had an adaptive function in the past. © 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.