Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder01:28

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, which consume significant time and interfere with daily functioning. Obsessions involve persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that evoke anxiety. Common examples include irrational fears of contamination or harm. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. For instance, individuals...
Beck's Cognitive Therapy01:25

Beck's Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy is a psychological approach designed to address distortions in thinking, which can lead to negative emotions and unrealistic beliefs. These cognitive distortions often influence how individuals interpret and respond to situations, exacerbating emotional distress. Below are some prevalent cognitive distortions, their characteristics, and examples of how they manifest in thought processes.
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
Personality Disorders: Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive01:24

Personality Disorders: Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive

Dependent personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are two separate psychological conditions that influence behavior, relationships, and overall life functioning. Though both involve maladaptive behaviors, their core characteristics and motivations differ significantly.
 Dependent Personality Disorder
Dependent personality disorder is characterized by an excessive reliance on others to manage various aspects of life. Individuals with this disorder often struggle with...
Cognitive Therapy01:25

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy, pioneered by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, is a structured approach to addressing psychological distress by focusing on the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors. All cognitive therapies involve the basic assumption that human beings have control over their feelings, and that how individuals feel about something depends on how they think about it. Unlike psychoanalytic methods that delve into unconscious processes or humanistic approaches emphasizing...
Metacognition01:26

Metacognition

Metacognition is a conscious process where individuals are aware of their cognitive and executive processes, such as planning before solving a problem or self-monitoring during reading. For instance, a writer may need help with composing a piece. The situation involves a writer who is working on a piece of writing, but while doing so, they realize that something is missing. They notice that their characters lack depth or details. This realization occurs because the writer is reflecting on their...
Counterfactual Thinking01:19

Counterfactual Thinking

Counterfactual thinking is a cognitive process wherein individuals mentally reconstruct alternative versions of past events, often beginning with “what if” or “if only.” This reflective mechanism plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences and guiding future behavior. Though typically triggered by unfavorable or unexpected outcomes, counterfactual thinking can also emerge in mundane, everyday decisions and experiences, revealing its deep entrenchment in human cognition.Types of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Ambivalent self-concept and feared self mediates the relationship between negative early life experiences and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Investigating links between co-rumination and personality, social functioning, and emotional well-being in a representative sample of adults.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Corrigendum to "Evaluation of a brief, online imagery rescripting intervention targeting fear-of-self in high obsessive-compulsive participants" [Behaviour Research and Therapy 195 (2025) 104903].

Behaviour research and therapy·2026
Same author

Evaluation of a brief, online imagery rescripting intervention targeting fear-of-self in high obsessive-compulsive participants.

Behaviour research and therapy·2025
Same author

Hoarding and aggression: Using the voodoo doll task to tease apart associations with direct and displaced aggression.

The British journal of clinical psychology·2025
Same author

Australian Clinicians' Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivations in Implementing Exposure and Response Prevention for Youth with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Exploratory Study.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Cognitive control of obsessional thoughts.

Jessica R Grisham1, Alishia D Williams

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. jessicag@unsw.edu.au

Behaviour Research and Therapy
|February 24, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms struggle with unwanted thoughts, showing a greater tendency to ruminate and less perceived control over their thinking. Thought suppression can paradoxically increase intrusive thoughts.

More Related Videos

Real-time fMRI Biofeedback Targeting the Orbitofrontal Cortex for Contamination Anxiety
10:51

Real-time fMRI Biofeedback Targeting the Orbitofrontal Cortex for Contamination Anxiety

Published on: January 20, 2012

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
11:17

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Published on: November 25, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Real-time fMRI Biofeedback Targeting the Orbitofrontal Cortex for Contamination Anxiety
10:51

Real-time fMRI Biofeedback Targeting the Orbitofrontal Cortex for Contamination Anxiety

Published on: January 20, 2012

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
11:17

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Published on: November 25, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts and difficulties in cognitive control.
  • Individual differences in thought control ability and rumination may underlie OCD symptomatology.
  • Understanding these cognitive styles is crucial for developing effective interventions for OCD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cognitive style (perceived thought control, rumination) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms.
  • To examine how these cognitive characteristics influence the response to unwanted thoughts.
  • To explore the efficacy of thought suppression paradigms in individuals with varying OCD symptom levels.

Main Methods:

  • 166 undergraduate students completed self-report measures for OCD symptoms, perceived thought control, and rumination.
  • Participants underwent a standard thought suppression paradigm involving a distressing target thought.
  • Correlational analyses and experimental manipulation were used to assess thought control and suppression effects.

Main Results:

  • OCD symptoms correlated positively with rumination and negatively with perceived thought control, even when controlling for anxiety and depression.
  • Higher OCD symptoms were linked to increased distress and spontaneous thought suppression efforts.
  • Perceived thought control ability predicted the frequency of target thoughts during suppression, and suppression instructions led to more intrusions post-task.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive styles, specifically high rumination and low perceived thought control, are associated with OCD symptoms.
  • Thought suppression may be an ineffective strategy for individuals with OCD, potentially exacerbating intrusive thoughts.
  • Findings highlight the need for cognitive interventions targeting thought control and rumination in OCD treatment.