Ritual behavior in obsessive and normal individuals—moderating anxiety and reorganizing the flow of action

ABSTRACT—Ritualized behavior is characteristic of obses-sive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but it is also observed in other, nonclinical contexts such as children’s routines and cultural ceremonies. Such behaviors are best understood with reference to a set of human vigilance–precaution systems in charge of monitoring potential danger and motivating the organism towards appropriate precau-tions. Ritualized behavior focuses attention on low-level representations of actions, probably leading to some measure of intrusion suppression. Cultural rituals toomay be understood in this framework. KEYWORDS—ritual; obsessive-compulsive disorder; stereo-typy; anxiety disorders Consider a man who needs to prepare a cup of tea every day before sitting down to work—but with a special twist. The cup o