Abstract
The present study investigates the association between Obsessive–Compulsive (OC) symptoms and the expression of anger in a sample of 131 undergraduates. Participants were divided into two groups based on their self-reported OC symptoms and compared on their tendency to suppress anger inwardly, express anger outwardly, and control their anger. In addition, the associations between anger and specific OC symptoms were investigated. Results indicated that individuals high in OC symptoms tended to experience more anger, be more likely to suppress it inwardly, and report more difficulty controlling their anger than individuals low in OC symptoms. However, these differences appear to be attributable to the presence of depressive symptoms in the participants with high levels of OC symptoms. In addition, OC checking was found to be weakly associated with anger independent of depressive symptoms. These results were discussed within the framework of the cognitive theory of obsessive compulsive disorder.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Garbin, M. G. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8, 77-100.
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelsohn, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561-571.
Burns, L. G., Formea, G. M., Keotge, S., & Sternberger, L. G. (1995). The utilization of nonpatient samples in the study of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 133-144.
Dent, H. R., & Salkovskis, P. M. (1986). Clinical measures of depression, anxiety, and obsessionality in nonclinical populations. Behavior Research and Therapy, 19, 689-691.
Emmelkamp, P. M., Kraaijkamp, H. J., & van den Hout, M. A. (1999). Assessment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavior Modification, 23, 269-279.
Freud, S. (1924). The predisposition to obsessional neurosis. Collected Papers, Vol. 2 (Ed.) Jones, & London: Wogarth Press, 1953, 122-132.
Gibbs, N. A. (1996). Nonclinical populations in research on obsessive-compulsive disorder: A critical review. Clinical Psychology Review, 16, 729-773.
Hildebrand, H. P. (1953). A factorial study of introversion-extroversion by means of objective tests. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of London.
Hodgson, R. J. & Rachman, S. (1977). Obsessional-compulsive complaints. Behavior Research and Therapy, 15, 389-395.
Johnson, E. H. (1984). Anger and anxiety as determinants of elevated blood pressure in adolescents: The Tampa study. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Florida, Tampa.
Kassinove, H. (1995). Anger disorders: definition, diagnosis, and treatment. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor and Francis.
Ladouceur, R., Freeston, M. H., Rheaume, J., Dugas, M. J., Gagnon, F., Thibodeau, N., et al. (2000). Strategies used with intrusive thoughts: A comparison of OCD paients with anxious and community controls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 179-187.
Manchanda, R., Sethi, B. B., & Gupta, S. C. (1979). Hostility and guilt in obsessive-compulsive neurosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 52-54.
Rachman, S. (1993). Obsessions, responsibility and guilt. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 149-154.
Rachman, S. J. (1998). A cognitive theory of obsessions: Elaborations. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 385-401.
Rachman, S. J., & Hodgson, R. J. (1980). Obsessions and compulsions, pp. 109-136. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Ricciardi J., & McNally, R. (1995). Depressed mood is related to obsessions but not compulsions in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety disorders, 9, 249-256.
Richter, M. A., Cox, B. J., & Direnfeld, D. M. (1994). A comparison of three assessment instruments for obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 143-147.
Rubenstein, C. S., Altemus, M., Pigott, T. A., Hess, A., & Murphy, D. L. (1995). Symptom overlap between OCD and bulimia nervosa. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 9, 1-9.
Salkovskis, P. M. (1999). Understanding and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, S29-S52.
Sanavio, E., & Vidotto, G. (1985). The components of the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire. Behavior Research and Therapy, 23, 659-662.
Sher, K., Mann, B., & Frost, R. (1984). Cognitive dysfunction in compulsive checkers: Further explorations. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 22, 493-502.
Slade, P. D. (1974). Psychometric studies of obsessional illness and obsessional personality. In H. R. Beech (ed.), Obsessional states (pp. 95-109). London, UK: Methuen.
Spielberger, C. D. (1988). State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-Research Edition: Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Sternberger, L. G., & Burns, G. L. (1990a). Compulsive Activity Checklist and the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory: Psychometric properties of two measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavior Therapy, 21, 117-127.
Sternberger, L. G., & Burns, G. L. (1990b). Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory: Obsessions and compulsions in a nonclinical sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28, 337-340.
Tolin, D. F., Abramowitz, J. S., & Brigidi, B. (2003). Intolerance of uncertainty in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 17, 233-242.
Tolin, D. F., Abramowitz, J. S., Przeworski, A., & Foa, E. B. (2002). Thought suppression in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 1255-1274.
Walker, V. J., & Beech, H. R. (1969). Mood state and the ritualistic behaviour of obsessional patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 115, 1261-1263.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Whiteside, S.P., Abramowitz, J.S. Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms and the Expression of Anger. Cognitive Therapy and Research 28, 259–268 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:COTR.0000021544.64104.29
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:COTR.0000021544.64104.29