Explanation in Obsessional Neurosis

Abstract

Over the past hundred years, a great deal has been written about obsessional neurosis. Much of the literature is theoretical, concerned with putting forward explanations for obsessional behaviour. Little attention has been given, however, to the question of what it is that requires to be explained, what it is about the obsessional symptom that is pathological. It is the aim of this paper to examine this question more closely.