The Power of Habits by The Editors of Power

Author:The Editors of Power [The Editors of Power]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: POWER
Published: 2021-06-22T20:30:00+00:00

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Chapter Two

BAD HABITS

Science is showing how habits and addictions are formed in the brain—and how we may be able to change the worst of them

Habits That Are Worse Than Habits

Obsessive-compulsive disorder and behavioral conditions such as compulsive gambling are like habits in some ways—and unlike them in many more

BY RICHARD JEROME

MARK WAS a 30-year-old chemist consumed with the idea that he was being contaminated at the laboratory where he worked. Worse, he was convinced that he was spreading that toxicity around the home that he shared with his wife, Heather, also a scientist. Everywhere he looked, Mark envisioned chemical contaminants—on trash cans, floors, shoes, in the bathroom and on tabletops. Not that he necessarily thought that he or Heather would contract a disease, but the sense of being tainted, unclean, was overwhelming, fueling a level of anxiety so profound he feared it would cause him physical harm.

To control these feelings, Mark took what he saw as precautionary measures—avoiding objects that might have touched the floor, showering at least twice a day, washing his hands excessively, scrubbing counters and other surfaces with bleach. At work, he cleaned and recleaned his laboratory instruments and changed his protective gloves more than 30 times a day.

Heather tried her best to accommodate her husband’s protective rituals. Though she loved to go camping with friends, she knew it provoked crushing anxiety for Mark, so she would make an excuse whenever they received an invitation. Since Mark was certain his contamination spread to the couple’s shower curtain, Heather changed it weekly. At her husband’s request, she also took frequent decontamination showers and cleaned household items to keep their home “safe.” When Heather failed to reassure Mark or follow his hygienic practices, he’d lash out at her. The pressure and tension of enabling her husband’s routines strained Heather to the point that their marriage was in danger of coming apart. At last, the pair sought counseling.

When treatment began, Mark reported spending more than eight hours a day thinking about contamination and engaging in “protective” rituals that had become so oppressive that they spilled over into the realm of pathology. These were habits—but a pernicious species of habit.

“The term ‘compulsive’ has lost its meaning in our vernacular,” says clinical psychologist Jon Abramowitz, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an authority on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. “Many people refer to any sort of repetitive behavior as compulsive. From a psychological perspective, we primarily think of a compulsive behavior as being part of OCD [if it meets] a very precise definition: it’s a repetitive behavior or thought that is performed in response to an obsessional fear and with the intent of reducing obsessional anxiety or distress.”

This defense mechanism can manifest itself in a variety of forms. Some of the most common compulsions are repeated washing and cleaning—as in Mark’s case—as well as checking

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