Obsessive-Compulsive Case Study

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Charles Regan Smith’s Triumph Over It Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by the combination of obsession and compulsion, the former includes persistent intrusive thoughts that are uncontrollable, and the latter is defined by repetitive behavioral designed to neutralize obsessions. The themes of obsession are often consistent across culture, which is true in Regan’s case as well. His first obsession began at age 5 regarding fear of contracting disease, which fits the pattern since the age onset of OCD typically begins during early childhood or adolescence. In 3rd grade, Reagan began spitting to avoid bacteria in his mouth. This compulsion was rather mild and he gave up on this idea after receiving comforts from his mother. In 7th grade, Reagan gained a new obsession with symmetry and he had sleep troubles due to his internal struggle with this obsession. He knew this obsession was ego-dystonic and inconsistent with his belief; however, he could not ignore the thoughts. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is often chronic with gradual onset and have symptoms waxing and waning; for Reagan, he experienced a full blown OCD symptoms in junior year of high school. He
This model is composed of two parts, classical conditioning and operant conditioning, and behaviorists believes all types of abnormal fear are learned through conditioning. In classical conditioning, the subject learned to associates neutral stimuli with an unconditioned stimuli, so the presence of only neutral stimuli would have elicit a response due to association. In operant conditioning, an individual learned to associates between a distinct behavior and a particular consequence, and the action of the person is either weakened or strengthen by the presence of reinforcements and the consequences of that particular