Abstract

This study was carried out to replicate Hanjoo Lee's previous finding of two different types of obsession, using clinical population. Twenty two OCD outpatients diagnosed on the DSM-IV basis completed the ROII and other symptom questionnaires, and were asked to report their disturbing obsessions. Then, their cognitive appraisal and control strategies against each obsession were evaluated through semi-structured interviews. As a result, various obsessions from OCD patients could be reliably differentiated into autogenous obsessions and reactive obsessions, and their subsequent responses in emotional experience, cognitive appraisal, and control strategies were found to be consistently different between the two types of obsession. Relatively, autogenous obsessions are experienced as unacceptable and guilty, and their appraisal and control strategies bring the content and presence of thoughts themselves into focus. On the other hand, reactive obsessions are likely to be perceived as more realistic and probable to realize, and their appraisal and control strategies focus on the implicated negative external situations rather than the thoughts themselves. This differentiation of obsession is expected to contribute toward understanding heterogeneous phenomena of OCD.