OCD; Behaviors & Factors

What determines whether a behavior is normal or abnormal?

Let’s start here.

“Normality” is a consistent behavior with a person’s usual behavior. It is conformity to societal standards as well as thinking and behaving similarly to the majority, which is generally seen as good in this context.

It involves adjusting to the surroundings, managing, or controlling emotions, working satisfactorily, and building fulfilling or at least acceptable relationships.

In abnormal psychology, “abnormality” is defined as behavior that is deviant from societal norms, distressing to the individual or close relations, dysfunctional to everyday living, or dangerous to self or others.

So, normality usually allows for a healthy state of mind for an acceptably lengthy period. On the other hand, a disorganized personality, unstable emotions, and prolonged mental or emotional distress are considered abnormal.

Today, knowing this standard is much easier to identify some behaviors and actions that may indicate the emergence, or the hint, of a possible disorder.

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Picture this example borrowed from the White Swan Foundation’s website:

You’ve had a long day, and you decide to retire for the night when suddenly you realize that you may have left the front door unlocked. You become anxious and choose to check if it is locked. Once you’ve ensured that it’s locked, you relax and return to bed. 

This type of anxiety is good for you as it ensures you are alert about your environment.

Sometimes, however, these thoughts can be recurring and intrusive. For example, you may decide to go and check the door to ensure it is locked, but when you return to bed, you start worrying about it again. Finally, you recheck the door and return to bed, but your worry still remains. 

These recurring thoughts, which make you anxious all the time, and affect your daily life in the process, are known as obsessions.

People with OCD also experience severe anxiety and distress. So, to relieve this anxiety, they perform repetitive acts known as compulsions.

Although they may seem similar, they are not the same, and some people may have both: compulsions and obsessions.