Obsession

Obsession can be defined as a burdensome and uncontrollable compulsion to repeat an idea, emotion, or thought, for example, a ritualized pattern of consumption. Often, this obsessive repetition is accompanied by feelings of distress or anxiety in the consciousness of the obsessive person. Although linked to concepts such as infatuation, intoxication, or lust, obsession is unique in that it is both an unwelcome burden that produces fear or anxiety in relation to the object repeated in consciousness (i.e., idea, emotion, thought, etc.) and is an uncontrollable repetition that fixates the consciousness of the person on a particular object. While obsession is often considered pathological, such a definition is possible only if the obsession obstructs the free will of the person in a prohibitive and disquieting ...