Obsession vs. Compulsion
Difference between Obsession and Compulsion: – The confusion between the terms “compulsion” and “obsession” rests primarily on the fact that both are interrelated to the point where many people think they are synonyms, which is not true.
Difference between Obsession and Compulsion
If you still do not know the difference between obsession and compulsion or just looking for a little more information to complement what you already know, then read on, because then we explain everything you need to know about this interesting subject so popular and so misunderstood today.
Obsession
An obsession is nothing more than fixation. A person can develop an extreme attachment or attachment to an object, a belief and even another person. When this happens, the result is that the obsessed are constantly thinking about someone or something, wanting to protect or have it.
Someone may be obsessed with something and not necessarily take actions or perform a series of rituals in response to that obsession.
Compulsion
On the other hand, compulsion consists in the feeling that one must do something; it is basically feeling forced to do something. In the mind of the affected person this feeling of being forced may derive from another person, from himself or even from the universe.
Anyone who feels forced to do something thinks that a misfortune will happen if he does not. Compulsive behaviors become habits that people do automatically and feel that they should be done even when circumstances do not favor such behavior.
Both compulsions and obsessions are considered as mental health problems, and very often they are related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; however, as has been suggested above, one of these problems can be presented individually; that is, someone can be obsessive without compulsions, but whenever there are compulsions there are obsessive thoughts.
Those who suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder experience two types of behavior: obsession and compulsion. The first refers to persistent, intrusive and unwanted thoughts; could also present itself as images and impulses. It is almost always about unrealistic ideas and concerns about the catastrophic consequences of trivial events. For example: someone who thinks that if he does not wash his hands more than 100 times a day he will be exposed to germs that will kill him.
Finally, in the case of obsessions, although the person knows that his ideas are unreal cannot be controlled. This makes you feel a lot of anxiety and resort to compulsions for relief. It is thus clear that obsessions are thoughts, whereas compulsions are actions.
