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The Obsessive Compulsive Syndrome as a Neurotic Device for the Reduction of Self-uncertainty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Fawzeya Makhlouf-Norris  and
Hugh Norris
Fawzeya Makhlouf-Norris
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, Runwell Hospital nr. Wickford, Essex
Hugh Norris
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Centre, 128 Harley Street, London, W.1
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Extract

In 1957, Lewis, writing about obsessional neurotic illness, stated: ‘There has been no marked increase in our state of knowledge of it in recent years, and indeed much of what can be found on the subject in current textbooks had already been fully stated and closely discussed in the first two decades of this century ….’ A recurrent theme in the literature is the supposed relationship between obsessional neurotic illness and ‘obsessional’ character traits. The psychoanalytic view that there is a strong association between obsessional symptoms and the ‘anal’ character traits was disputed by Lewis (1935). He found little evidence to support the existence of a well-marked constellation of character traits, or of a relationship between ‘obsessional’ traits and obsessional neurotic illness. Sandler and Hazari (1960) gave supportive evidence for the psychoanalytic view, but Reed (1970) doubted whether their conclusions were justified by the findings. Makhlouf-Norris (1968) summarized the literature in fourteen points, two of which are outlined below.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 122 , Issue 568 , March 1973 , pp. 277 - 288
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1973 

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