Obsessive personality: 8 habits that lead to obsession

Throughout life there are numerous situations that are able to trap our mind in a loop that seems eternal.

Recurring thoughts, unwarranted anxiety by phenomena that constantly attract attention... They are characteristics of the obsessive personality, which, although by itself is not pathological, is statistically associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and certain anxiety problems.

What is obsession?

Psychologically, the concept of obsession refers to the presence of an idea, belief or mental image that interferes recurrently in the state of consciousness of the person and makes the thought of her go "on rails". In other words, obsessions limit the spontaneity with which one acts, since they go hand in hand with a thought loop that feeds off its own effects.

Rumination, which is precisely this vicious circle of mental processes, is a phenomenon that goes hand in hand with obsession. In addition, the consequences of this are usually an increase in specific stress and anxiety, as well as premonitory beliefs about the future new appearance of those obsessive thoughts.

• You may be interested: "11 typical obsessions and compulsions in OCD"

The 10 habits of the obsessive personality

But... What are the signs that reveal the existence of an obsessive personality? For this you have to look in the habits that arise in the day to day. The main ones are the following.

1. It is constantly planned

Obsessive people tend to spend much more time making calculations or estimates about what may happen in the future, thus, keep alive the idea that they have everything under control.

2. Escapist habits

The obsessive personality needs to lean on moments of escapism so that you don't have to constantly endure anxiety of having to always be in control of what happens. Weekend getaways, long games of video games or simply periods of isolation are usually statistically more common than normal in these people.

3. Use of dichotomous thinking

The obsessive personality is based on a style of thinking that is very categorical and that radically distinguishes what is right from what is wrong. That is why a lot of concern is put into doing things well, since in case of failure there are no nuances that allow to cushion the unpleasantness of that experience.

4. Constant emphasis on responsibility

These people always have in mind the idea that if they do not act proactively, things tend to go wrong, and the rare thing is that they go well without even trying. That is why they always put a lot of pressure on human actions, either from others or, in many cases, only on their own.

5. Avoidance of the option to delegate

The obsessive personality is controlling and, therefore, usually goes hand in hand with a characteristic habit: it does not delegate, and there is a clear preference for doing the important things oneself. Leaving things in the hands of others would imply take a risk that for some is too high, and that is why it is preferred to have a conscious control over what is happening, even if that option is more tiring.

6. Search for acceptance

Those with obsessive personalities tend to seek acceptance from others to a somewhat higher degree than the rest of the population. Unlike what happens with narcissists, this has nothing to do with the need to maintain a very idealized and bloated self-image, but with the need to believe in your own abilities so as not to feel weak in the face of day-to-day problems.

Having a bad public image means having a mirror in front of us in which our capacities are questioned, and this makes worries about what may happen to us can assail us more ease.

7. Defense of the value of justice and order

This class of people prefers order to the unpredictable and spontaneous, since the second option generates more uncertainty, worries and, consequently, obsessive thoughts that wear us down psychologically. This It is also reflected in his way of expressing his idealsAlthough that does not mean that they should be conservative; they simply defend the idea of ​​basing relationships on well-established covenants whose violation carries compensatory consequences.

8. Tics and stereotyped behaviors

Some people with this kind of personality show stereotypical actions in their day-to-day lives, without being so serious or invasive. as to be considered a symptom of OCD. They are a way of giving structure to what is being experienced, causing each moment to be experienced as something connected with others and there is a feeling that everything that is experienced is integrated into a unit. Of course, most of these actions are involuntary and almost automatic.