Evolutionary Explanations of OCD

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What are the main obbessions?
Dirt and contamination
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Why might this have once been adaptive?
When we lived in times when hygiene was an issue, being concerned about dirt and contamination was an adaptive advantage
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Why might checking have been adaptive?
When living in a dangerous environment with predators/climate, checking everything would improve the chances of passing on genes
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Obsessions could have lead people to produce states...
Which allowed them to be alert and survive (fear, agitation)
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What did Abed & de Pauw 1988 suggest?
Obsessions are uncontrollable thoughts that produce strong aversive states. These orginate from part of the brain known as involuntary risk scenario generating
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What does this allow?
Allows you work ways and means of avoiding harm in safety without having to confront real life dangers
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How can this be applied to OCD?
OCD involves the over-activation of warning signals related to stimuli and situations that were potentially dangerous
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OCD probably once was...
Adaptive
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All evolutionary explanations are...
Un-falsifiable
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Some obbesssions are clearly..
Not adaptive such as wanting your partner dead
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If it OCD is innate, this means...
Everyone should develop OCD... But they don't
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OCD patients have disturbing...
Thoughts which affect functioning, so is not adaptive
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Card 2

Front

Why might this have once been adaptive?

Back

When we lived in times when hygiene was an issue, being concerned about dirt and contamination was an adaptive advantage

Card 3

Front

Why might checking have been adaptive?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Obsessions could have lead people to produce states...

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did Abed & de Pauw 1988 suggest?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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