Causes of OCD

Behavioural explanations

• Mowrer two factor theory of avoidance 
• > fear of neutral stimulus is aquired through classical conditioning, associated with frightening thoughts or experiences, so elicit anxiety 
  
• > eg. touching a doorknob may become associated with 'scary' idea of contaminaition
• > person discovers the anxiety can be reduced by performing acts such as handwashing 
• > handwashing a lot reduces anxiety, so washing response is reinforced, making it unlikely in future when other situations evoke anxiety about contamination 
• > once learnt, such avoidance responses are resistent to extinction 
• > this model…