Incompleteness and not just right experiences in the explanation of Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

In the past decade, not just right experiences (NJRE) and incompleteness (INC) have attracted renewed interest as putative motivators of symptoms in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), beyond harm avoidance (HA). This study examines, in 267 non-clinical undergraduates and 47 OCD patients, the differential contributions of HA, INC, and NJRE to the different OCD symptom dimensions and the propensity to have the disorder. The results indicate that although both the NJRE and INC range from normality to OCD, their number and intensity significantly increase as the obsessional tendencies increase, which suggests that they are vulnerability markers for OCD. Although they cannot be considered fully specific to OCD, they are more important in explaining OCD symptoms than general distress and harm-related beliefs, and they are also better indicators of OCD severity than HA. In light of the operationalization of both NJRE and INC across the items on their respective questionnaires, the two constructs seem to capture different aspects of the same complex underlying construct: whereas INC might refer to a relatively stable disposition or trait of engaging in compulsive rituals, NJRE resemble obsessions more, and the appraisals that individuals ascribe to the experience would motivate the compulsions.