Psychotherapist & Jungian analyst Gary Trosclair explores the perils & potentials
of the driven personality for compulsives and their loved ones–removing the disorder from Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
The Healthy Compulsive Project:
Healing OCPD & Taking the Wheel of the Driven Personality
Recent Blog Posts
Some people just don’t know when to have a good time. They habitually put off pleasure with the hope that they’ll get a greater reward later, and in the process they condition themselves not to enjoy anything. Contentment becomes scarcer than Ben and Jerry’s Dulce de Leche ice cream in hell. I call this chronic delay of gratification. It’s addictive,…
Read MoreSome time ago I came across the concept of demand sensitivity, a psychological lens which magnifies, in your imagination, what other people insist you do. On a scale of one to ten, you might perceive that they’re insisting on a nine when really they just have a three in mind. The lens of demand sensitivity can also cause total illusions,…
Read MoreObsessing occurs when the capacity to focus and solve a problem by thinking runs into an emotional obstacle, a feeling we don’t want to face. The thinking process gets derailed and stuck in recurring loops. Here’s an example of this happening to me and how I handled it. * * * It’s four a.m. on the first morning of my…
Read MoreThis is the first of an occasional series on the relationship between archetypes and the obsessive-compulsive personality (OCP). Given the adamant nature of those with OCP, terrific or terrible things can happen when the two collide. OCP infuses just about any archetype with steroids. Such is the case with the archetype of the saint. What is an Archetype? Archetypes are…
Read MoreHow do we know when we’re being passive-aggressive? Because we might see our behavior as justified, innocent or even polite, we often aren’t aware when we’re doing it. After all, passive-aggressive behavior is defined by not doing something. “Hey, I’m not doing anything!” Yeah, and that’s the problem. Whether we’re aware of it or not, most of us try to…
Read MoreHonk…Honk….HOOOOONK! You’ve seen it too many times. Someone tries to get away with driving badly so someone else decides to set them straight with their horn. “I’ll teach him!” Since the Bad Driver has violated the rules, the “Good” Driver feels the need to make sure they know they can’t get away with it. The honking is rationalized as an…
Read MoreIn my last post I harped about the importance of people with obsessive-compulsive personality consciously choosing their priorities. Today I’ll harp about one aspect of life that you may need to put near the top of that priority list: mastery, the experience of succeeding at rewarding challenges. Well, that’s dorky. You were hoping I’d say a steamy sex life? Maybe…
Read MoreSince we’re beginning a new year, I thought it might be a good time to step back and look at the big picture. What’s most important and what are our priorities? This is especially crucial for people with obsessive-compulsive personalities, whose real values can get lost when their temperament collides with psychological challenges. In my initial consultation with new clients…
Read MoreI recently posted about the benefits of self-compassion in lowering the depression that perfectionism causes. But if you experience shame, it can block self-compassion and lead to depression. Yet trying to avoid shame is often what motivates people to use to use potentially healthy tendencies in an unhealthy way. More on that in a moment, but first, what is shame?…
Read MoreImagine two perfectionists. When Estella feels that she’s fallen short of her standards, she puts more pressure on herself to succeed. She tries to raise her self-esteem through more success. Coco, on the other hand, deals with falling short of her perfectionistic standards by comforting herself with compassion, and remembering that it’s just her humanity kicking in. These are two…
Read MoreFeatured Blog Posts
Your colleague Mitch works very late hours, insists on perfection in team documents, and can get overwrought at meetings, telling people how they should do things. He needs to have things a certain way and can’t tolerate it if he…
As with many other subjects, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung had a refreshingly creative take on compulsive behavior. Here are his two basic ideas: We have a deep, healthy, and compulsive urge to individuate, to develop our psychological potential. If that urge is…
Compulsive. It’s not the kind of trait that will get you a wink on a dating app. But let’s re-frame this: people who have a compulsive personality have a lot to feel good about–if they manage their energies well. Let’s…
Why A Compulsive Personality Blog? It’s hard to stop. Stop working, thinking, perfecting, controlling, planning and doing. This drive can be tormenting. But it can also be fulfilling–both the doing and the finishing. What determines whether it’s tormenting or fulfilling?…
A partner with OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder), can be really difficult to live with. They usually aren’t aware how extreme their rigidity has become and are often convinced that they’re right all the time. Their perfectionistic, controlling and workaholic…
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) As many as one in 12 people have this medical disorder without knowing it. In fact, while it’s prevalent and well established as a diagnostic category, it is one of the least recognized by the public. …
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Recent Posts
- Gratification April 30, 2023
- What, Exactly, Do They Want From You? How The Demand Sensitivity Lens Mucks Up Our Lives April 2, 2023
- There Will Be Roosters: A Personal Story about Obsessing March 3, 2023
- What Happens When a Compulsive Meets the Archetype of the Saint February 19, 2023
- How to Know if You’re Being Passive-Aggressive February 4, 2023
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