What Are Compulsions?
Compulsion Definition, Explanation & Response Options
Problem or negative behaviours can take many forms. Examples include:
Impulsive or risky behaviour
Alcohol or drug abuse
Excessive shopping or gambling
Verbal, physical, or psychological abuse
Aggressive outbursts
Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
Withdrawal from social activities
Compulsions are a particular form of problematic behaviour. As practitioner psychologists, we are interested in identifying and reducing compulsions because they are associated with various performance and well-being issues.
What Are Compulsions?
Compulsions are behaviours an individual feels compelled to perform. Common compulsions include:
Washing hands excessively
Checking locks multiple times
Counting objects repeatedly
Repetitive rearrangement of items
These urges are usually due to recurrent intrusive thoughts or images. In essence, compulsions are unwanted repetitious behaviours in response to intrusive thoughts or feelings of fear or dread.
These behaviours often do not make logical sense and can disrupt everyday life.
Psychological research has shown that compulsions are associated with specific mental health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety) and reduced quality of life (1, 2).
Compulsions can also indicate an underlying mental health condition, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Compulsions are behaviours or mental acts that people with (OCD) feel driven to perform in response to obsessions (see below).
Related Concepts
Compulsions frequently occur in response to obsessive thoughts. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, feelings, images or urges that cause distress. They are intrusive and unwanted and can be difficult to control. As a result, people who suffer from obsessions put significant time in effort into their control.
People use compulsions to reduce the distress caused by obsessions. Maladaptive behaviours, on the other hand, are any act that hinders one's ability to function well. In addition, the latter can prevent one from achieving desired goals. Compulsions tend to be more focused on some specific action. By contrast, maladaptive behaviours are often broader and encompass many different areas of a person's life.
Summary
Compulsions are behaviours designed to reduce the distress associated with unwanted or unpleasant thoughts. While they might provide relief, this benefit is usually short-lived. Furthermore, these behaviours lead to negative consequences and can represent an underlying mental health condition.
It is vital to seek professional help if you suspect the presence of compulsions. These behaviours usually require additional input to achieve sustainable positive change. Effective treatments are available for compulsions and any underlying mental health conditions. Our team can advise you on this further.
We are Coaching & Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. We can help you deal with compulsions and related problems. Read more about our work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Get in touch anytime.
References
(1) Sharma, E., Sharma, L. P., Balachander, S., Lin, B., Manohar, H., Khanna, P., Lu, C., Garg, K., Thomas, T. L., Au, A. C. L., Selles, R. R., Højgaard, D. R. M. A., Skarphedinsson, G., & Stewart, S. E. (2021). Comorbidities in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 703701. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.703701
(2) Coluccia, A., Fagiolini, A., Ferretti, F., Pozza, A., Costoloni, G., Bolognesi, S., & Goracci, A. (2016). Adult obsessive–compulsive disorder and quality of life outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 22, 41-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2016.02.001
