A Phenomenological Investigation of the Role of Guilt in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

The current work takes a phenomenological approach to investigating the role of guilt in a sample of persons diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The role of guilt in OCD has been frequently noted in the literature, although infrequently studied as a factor in its own right. Typically, those studying OCD have found positive correlations between questionnaire measures of guilt and self-reported symptoms of OCD. Those working with sufferers have also found that OC clients in therapy report feelings of guilt with respect to their symptoms. The present work investigates, in a qualitative way, the meaning of guilt for those with OCD. The presumed role of guilt is examined descriptively, with an eye to developing a more complete understanding of the relationship between feelings of guilt and OC symptoms in a sample of sufferers. Nine participants (N=9) were recruited, and were interviewed using an unstructured approach. In terms of analysis, emphasis was placed on understanding the experience of guilt and OC symptoms as both were lived by sufferers, with a focus on the personal significance of guilt for study participants. Fifteen descriptive guilt/OCD themes were derived from interviews across the nine participants. Themes revealed a variety of connections that sufferers made between feelings of guilt and symptoms of OCD. A common description of the experience was also derived. The results suggest that the role of guilt in OCD is highly interpersonal in nature, and that feelings of guilt may precede, motivate, as well as be a consequence of, OC symptoms. The role of guilt for any given sufferer may also be highly idiosyncratic.

The role of disgust propensity and trait guilt in OCD symptoms: A multiple regression model in a clinical sample

“…Moreover, when considering the results of regression analyses, somehow unexpectedly TG was not a significant predictor of any dimension of OCD symptomatology. This result is surprising given the findings of previous studies which have stressed the role of guilt in OCD (Rachman et al., 1995;Savoie, 1996;Shafran et al, 1996;Steketee et al, 1991). In particular, in a recent study of a large Italian community sample (Melli et al, in press) both TG and DP emerged as significant predictors of contamination-related OCD symptoms.…”

Programming The Mind – The Seven Dimensions of Attachment in Personality and Psychopathology

“…The level of obsessivity determines the sensitivity to feeling responsible for causing harm, modulating the activation of the caregiving system -aiming to repair the damage caused. The higher the level, the easier the activation of this system (Geissner et al, 2019;Guidano, 1987;Savoie, 1996). When obsessivity is high, the subject regulates attachment according to the need not to feel they are a bad person -which corresponds to breaking their code of conduct.…”

“…The more the child's self-expressions are not validated, the more the child feels uncertain about them and seeks external references. ( 7) Finally, obsessivity is linked to feeling responsible for causing harm and modulates caregiving (Geissner et al, 2019;Guidano, 1987;Savoie, 1996). The more the child is blamed, the more they feel compelled to repair.…”

Parallel returns: feelings, temporality and narrative in the experience of guilt

“…There are many types of guilt: legal, technical, ontological, theological (Baumeister, Stillwell & Heatherton, 1994), as well as feelings of guilt, which are the focus of this paper. Guilt is a common phenomenon and generally speaking we know what it is like to feel guilty (Savoie, 1996), yet, empirically guilt is elusive (Baumeister, Stillwell & Heatherton, 1995), and conceptual definitions of guilt remain contentious. Most researchers agree that guilt is a dysphoric feeling (e.g.…”