Proposal of a New Concept to Explain the ‘Exaggerated Responsibility’ in ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder: The ‘Retrospective Identification of Motivations and Inclinations’ - Abstract
The topic of “exaggerated responsibility” plays a pivotal role in the genesis and maintenance of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In order to further clarify this phenomenon, a particular psychological process termed “Retrospective Identification of Motivations and Inclinations” (RIMI) will be outlined here. When a subject with OCD evaluates his/her own behavior or inner experience (thought, emotion, imagery, etc.) as unacceptable, he/she will identify in a retrospective way the presumed negative motivations/inclinations which would be the source of that behavior or experience. RIMI, not only helps to better understand “exaggerated responsibility”, but sheds also new light on other cognitive domains considered as central in OCD such as “over-importance of thought”, “control of thought”, “overestimation of threat” and “intolerance for uncertainty”.