Religion of the Obsessive-compulsive: Orphaned Internal Objects

In obsessional disorders, the internal objects are the patient’s cognitions.

Magical thinking converts these internal objects to external ones: cognitions are externalized and objectified, akin to hyperreflexivity in psychosis.

The internal objects are cathected with aggression which is then projected onto the external objects that they have become.

Aggressive external objects are bad, frustrating, rejecting, uncontrollable objects and deserve punishment or annihilation.

But such adverse outcomes for the external objects are perceived as threatening because they decouple the internal objects from the corresponding external ones (“orphaning” them).

Orphaning gives rise to anticipatory existential anxiety: since they cannot impact the external world, orphaned internal objects are solipsistic, giving rise to profound loneliness and to an absence of self-efficacy (life-threatening helplessness and catastrophizing).

Rituals (again a manifestation of magical thinking reminiscent of religion) serve to fend off this anticipatory anxiety by absolving the external objects and thus “restoring” them.

The obsessive person serves as the sacrificial lamb (Jesus) by assuming the guilt and responsibility of the external objects (the way we absolve god), i.e., by reinternalizing the aggression in the form of an internalized bad object (Strachey’s primary superego, Fairbairn’s moral defense).

But here the aggressor is the patient! “Identifying with the aggressor” (Ferenczi) is identifying with the aggressive Self. The obsessive patient is his/her own aggressor. He renders himself all bad so as to restore the world into its essential goodness.

But this solution just shifts the aggression from an external locus to an internal one, where it finds its way back into the external objects via the agency of the internal objects (magical cognitions).

The need to expunge the world periodically of this emanated aggression that attaches to external objects gives rise to compulsion.

[DogChowGurl]

Who is thinking, "if only my spouse would concentrate long enough to hear 10% of this video"? Excellent content. I always knew his abandonment trauma and ocd and adhd were all part of the same Gordian knot. Peace.

[EverahSnow]

The last few videos have been exceptionally informative. Really builds upon all the prior lectures. Thank you for this invaluable resource. ❤

[iamlinaris]

Some of the ways that I have explained the experience of having OCD are 'internal prison', 'tyrrany', 'parassitic entity'. Noumerous times I have called my self, internally as a monster, or evil. I have experienced psychotic episodes, one very intense that caused an interruption in my life for about 6 months, and others more mild. I have had suicidal ideation, paranoid ideation, I am alone, I feel that I lack the ability to have meaningful relationships. As the years go by it becomes harder, and it makes me even more introverted. The only solution up to this point is medication and speaking about it with my family and friends. Because of the shame and guilt that it comes with, it is very difficult to open up about it. It is, as I said, a one man prison, I am the tyrant guard (so to speak) and the prisoner and vice versa

[AstridMartin]

You may call this magical thinking but you LITERALLY post content I am in dire need to hear and your videos always resonate with my thirst for knowledge. I tried to explain my kleptomania and ROCD to my doctor and he put me on an antipsychotic.

[johnnyripple]

Wow.
This really hits home.
I am fucked up.

[succubiwishes]

Great video, now we can understand a little bit better the person who suffers from ocd. I wonder if you have any plans on doing a video about psychosis? It would be very interesting.

[connorohare]

I converted back to Christianity recently and have a difficult time discerning if it's my OCD or God talking.

[JonathanRowden]

So ocd isn’t an anxiety disorder - but it’s a psychotic-adjacent disorder

[ЮлияСергеевна-кш]

Религиозность - это психопаталогия. И это объясняет, почему все религиозные люди такие агрессивные. Спасибо, Сэм!

[MichaelCleveland-vh]

Do you any solutions to cure the people with these ailments? Mental illness cannot be rationalized away.

[JonathanRowden]

Integration. Not transmutation! Take away its power. Fucking powerful! Thank you doc.

[KasperSparrow]

@Prof. Sam Vaknin:

Thank you for the deeply insightful analysis. One question though. How do we deal with this core of aggression? You mention the need to deconstruct it, but not how.

[djlujoso]

Oi Vaknin, I want a signed copy of Malignant Self Love... & probably so do a lot of other internal objects.
C'mon. Let's go..!

[pupchubs]

Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle provides an excellent literary example of the phenomenon described here through the character Mary Katherine aka Merricat

[Only_The_Best_Bits-fy]

@Prof. Sam Vaknin, a questions please:
As mentioned towards the end of your video, I perceive that a lot of the “mind” of the OCD patient seems to resemble one of a narcissist (comorbidity possibly at times too?; please correct me if wrong) - presumably- dead mother complex/ enmeshment/memory gaps/ dissonance/abandonment issues/disassociation and compulsions are a common thread. How could you tell them apart? Thanks so much!

[balintbalogh]

Prof Vaknin! Can we only decide as we decide in the end? Is it up to us? Does our thinking contain randomness?

[balintbalogh]

Prof Sam Vaknin! Does everything happen for a reason? Are there any coincidences? What do these terms mean to you?

[adorabledeathwish]

I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on Limerence in people with BPD

[kennethcarvalho]

But what is source of intrusive thoughts