Obsessive-Compulsive Characteristics in Rocking Horse Winner - Essay Example

Outline for the Obsessive-Compulsive Characteristics in Rocking Horse Winner Paragraph I Brief introduction to obsessive-compulsive behavior 2. Defining obsessions and compulsions and identifying their characteristics Paragraph II 1. Purpose of this essay: speculative and evaluative 2. Thesis statement: In the Rocking Horse Winner, Paul's behavior almost perfectly matches a clinical diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive behavior, except for some uncertainty regarding his recognition of the source of the obsessions, while his sister, Joan, experiences some obsessive characteristics but does not satisfy the complete definition for an obsession or a compulsion. Paragraph III, and IV: 1. Example of each character, Paul and Joan 2. How they think and behave: compare and contrast 3. How they diverge in terms of obsessive-compulsive behavior Paragraph V: 1. Conclusion: Paul's diagnosis 2. What question needs to be answered to make a definitive evaluation of Paul's condition. Obsessive-Compulsive Characteristics in Rocking Horse Winner An obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized as a type of psychiatric or anxiety disorder. People suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder tend to manifest the disorder by performing repetitive tasks to the exclusion of other tasks and activities. This disorder is further divided into both obsessive behaviors and compulsive behaviors. Obsessions refer to the thought process, whether in the form of impulses or images, and compulsions refer to the consequent actions. A well-established set of diagnostic criteria define obsessions as repetitive, distressing, and continuous thoughts that are experienced and which cause a perceived need to behave in some way. An important point is that these worries and concerns go beyond normal, real-life concerns. More, attempts to suppress or to ignore these types of thoughts are frequent and often futile. The individual experiencing the obsession, in this type of disorder, is aware of the fact that the obsessions are emanating from the self rather than from external sources. Compulsions are the result of the obsessions; more specifically, compulsions are the acting out, either physically or mentally, of repetitive tasks. These tasks are performed in order to reduce the stress caused by the obsession or to prevent the occurrence of some feared event or situation. The important point is that these compulsions, these acts, are not logically related to the obsession and are excessive. In short, an obsessive-compulsive behavior is one in which obsessive thoughts cause compulsive acts which are not reasonable. This essay will evaluate two characters in the Rocking Horse Winner. This evaluation will seek to determine whether these two characters, Paul and Joan, can be said to suffer from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. This essay will argue that Paul's behavior, both in terms of his thoughts and actions, closely resembles obsessive-compulsive behavior; on the other hand, his sister, Joan, evidences some obsessive characteristics, but does not act out in the form of compulsions. As an initial matter, Paul, like the other children, is haunted by a voice. The voice is persistent and it continues throughout the story. The voice conveys one simple message. The house needs more money. This causes an extreme sort of anxiety for Paul. He hears this voice, he considers it very carefully, and he even consults his mother about the relationship of luck and money. The text explicitly uses the term "anxiety" on multiple occasions. The nature of this voice is significant. It is not simply a soft voice which intrudes infrequently before going dormant; quite the contrary, as the story develops the voice becomes louder and more demanding. Thus far, Paul displays the common characteristics of an obsession. There is a recurrent and persistent thought, the need for more money, and an impulse to find out whether he is lucky. These voices are clearly intrusive and Paul neglects other activities in order to attend to his rocking horse. In addition, he seems to have a compulsion. He does engage in repetitive acts. He gets on his rocking horse and he rocks and rocks. When he is finished, he dismounts and talks to the horse. These acts do seem to reduce his anxiety and soothe him; indeed, his Uncle Oscar characterizes these rides as bringing pleasure to Paul. The problem, however, is that Paul's personal character does not satisfy all of the diagnostic characteristics of an obsessive-compulsive behavior. In particular, there remains some uncertainty as to whether he recognizes that this relationship between good luck and rocking the horse is a product of his own mind. The text is not so clear in this regard. He does specify degrees of certainty regarding the winner of horse races, but he does not say enough to know for certain that he recognizes himself as the origin of his behavior. Does he believe that God talks through the horse We just don't know. In addition, Paul does not seem to engage in clear attempts to neutralize or ignore the obsessions. It is true that, after making a large sum of money, he does seem to retreat from his odd behavior before being pulled back in one last time by the demanding voices. In sum, Paul's character closely resembles the diagnostic characteristics of an obsessive-compulsive disorder; on the other hand, it would be useful to know whether he recognized his own brain as the source of these obsessions and whether he directly attempted to ignore these obsessions. Paul's sister, Joan, on the other hand, evidences some characteristics of an obsession, but she does not act out compulsively. She, too, hears the voice. This voice, for her, remains persistent and recurrent. She does not, in the final analysis, allow these thoughts to intrude into her life in inappropriate ways. Indeed, Joan is shocked and appalled by her brother's behavior. Also, she doesn't have any apparent compulsions. In short, Joan hears the voices, but does not behave as does Paul. In conclusion, Paul's character most closely resembles an instance of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. If I were to speculate, not being a medical professional, I would lean towards a diagnosis of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. This speculation must be tempered by the fact that the text is not explicit as to certain aspects of Paul's character. Joan, on the other hand, seems to deal with the fear of poverty more reasonably. Works Cited BBC Science and Nature: Human Body and Mind. Causes of OCD. . Accessed 8 September 2006. Quick Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-IV-TR. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. Read More