Which of the following would be an example of a compulsion?

Which of the following would be an example of a compulsion?

a. frequent hand washing

b. intrusive thoughts about sexual acts

c. persistent concern about air quality in one’s workplace

d. repeatedly envisioning a violent act against a specific family member

Answer: a. frequent hand washing

Obsessions are ideas or images which intrude on a person’s thoughts and, as a result, the person experiences an insistence on checking, or a need to perform a related compulsion. These actions are performed in order to minimize anxiety or the feared event, although too often or not connected to the fear in any way. Washing the hands often is a compulsion which is one of the symptoms related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Though it may wash their hands severally especially during the day, they find this as a necessity when they are already clean due to a paranoid like disorder of germs or dirt.