Exploration of obsessive compulsive phenomena: a preliminary investigation.

Different dimensions of obsessions and compulsions were explored in 103 obsessions and 60 compulsions recorded from 32 subjects who received a primary diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder. Intrusiveness and repetitiveness formed relatively discrete dimensions, while resistance, distress, irrationality, interference and ease of dismissal tended to be associated within themselves. An anxiety-provoking effect was an additional dimension observed among compulsions.