A Jungian Depth Perspective on OCD

Talamo, J. (2008). A Jungian Depth Perspective on OCD (Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2008).

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to enrich and deepen our understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by employing a Jungian depth psychological perspective. The hermeneutic-theoretical method forms the basis for a thematic/textual approach to the “text” of OCD as defined by various sources and viewpoints, including the DSM-IV-TR. In this way, a bridge may be formed between the standard body of knowledge regarding OCD and the field of Jungian depth psychology.

This work aims to bring a greater sense of meaning and purpose to our current conceptualizations of OCD while establishing the nature of the deeper foundational forces at work in such cases. In the current study, links are clearly established between OCD and the Jungian viewpoint in areas as diverse as Jungian typology, modern music, mythology, and the connection between humans and the divine. The goal is to carve out some new territory as the material currently available on OCD from a Jungian depth perspective is sparse at best.