Citation

Donley JE. J. Abnorm. Psychol. (1906) 1909; 4(2): 172-181.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1909, American Psychopathological Association, Publisher Gorham Press)

DOI

10.1037/h0070460

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Discusses the form, character, mechanisms, factors, and the methods, of origin, perpetuation and cure of obsessions. Constant recurring automatism was the most striking feature of obsessive mental states. Obsessions arise as mental states or complexes which have been dissociated or split off from the main stream of the self-conscious personality. The general underlying principle of dissociations appears to be the same, with variations in psychological details. Besides dissociation, association is also said to play an equally important part in the mechanism of obsessions. Emphasizes that the variety of obsessions are coterminous with the possibilities of abnormal association and dissociation. In order to throw light on the therapeutic measures, gives a report of 5 cases of psychasthenic obsessions actually treated using hypnosis, hypnoidization and persuasion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)