Award Date

1-1-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Committee Member

Russell T. Hurlburt

Number of Pages

114

Abstract

This study employed the Descriptive Experience Sampling method to investigate the inner experiences of three individuals with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and one non-OCD-symptom participant. Participants were provided with a random-interval generator (beeper) and were asked to "freeze" the aspects of their inner experience at the moment of the beep and record this experience in a notebook. Participants met with the investigators within 24 hours to discuss each of these sampled moments in detail. Salient characteristics were identified for each participant. Characteristics of inner experience were found to be shared across subjects: OCD-symptom participants were found to have a higher frequency of unsymbolized thinking and feelings, and a lower frequency of inner speech than normal participants. Additionally, participants were often able to localize the characteristics of their inner experience in some specific location in their heads. Results of sampling did not find any frequently recurring thoughts, impulses, or images.

Keywords

Compulsive; Descriptive; Disorder; Experience; Individuals; Obsessive; Sampling; Symptoms

Controlled Subject

Clinical psychology; Cognitive psychology

File Format

pdf

File Size

3010.56 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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