Skip to main content

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences
  • 129 Accesses

Synonyms

Anankastic personality disorder

Definition

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a mental disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control. Diagnostic criteria include being overly conscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values, being reluctant to delegate tasks or work to others, and significant rigidity or stubbornness.

Introduction

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a mental disorder characterized by a chronic maladaptive pattern of excessive perfectionism, preoccupation with orderliness and detail, and need for control over one’s environment that leads to significant distress or impairment across work, school, and social functioning. Individuals diagnosed with OCPD are reluctant to delegate tasks and work to others, find it difficult to relax, feel obligated to plan out their activities to the minute, and find...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Anderluh, M. B., Tchanturia, K., Rabe-Hesketh, S., & Treasure, J. (2003). Childhood obsessive–compulsive personality traits in adult women with eating disorders: Defining a broader eating disorder phenotype. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 242–247.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ansell, E. B., Pinto, A., Orlando Edelen, M., & Grilo, C. M. (2008). Structure of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition criteria for obsessive–compulsive personality disorder in patients with binge eating disorder. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 53, 863–867.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bartz, J., Kaplan, A., & Hollander, E. (2007). Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. In W. T. O'Donohue, K. A. Fowler, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.), Personality disorders: Toward the DSM-V (pp. 325–351). Los Angeles: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bender, D. S., Dolan, R. T., Skodol, A. E., Sanislow, C. A., Dyck, I. R., McGlashan, T. H., Shea, M. T., Zanarini, M. C., Oldham, J. M., & Gunderson, J. G. (2001). Treatment utilization by patients with personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 295–302.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chavira, D. A., Grilo, C. M., Shea, M. T., Yen, S., Gunderson, J. G., Morey, L. C., Skodol, A. E., Stout, R. L., Zanarini, M. C., & McGlashan, T. H. (2003). Ethnicity and four personality disorders. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 44, 483–491.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coles, M. E., Pinto, A., Mancebo, M. C., Rasmussen, S. A., & Eisen, J. L. (2008). OCD with comorbid OCPD: A subtype of OCD? Journal of Psychiatric Research, 42, 289–296.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Reus, R. J. M., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2012). Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: A review of current empirical findings. Personality and Mental Health, 6, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisen, J. L., Coles, M. E., Shea, M. T., Pagano, M. E., Stout, R. L., Yen, S., Grilo, C. M., & Rasmussen, S. A. (2006). Clarifying the convergence between obsessive-compulsive personality disorder criteria and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 20(3), 294–305.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fiore, D., Dimaggio, G., Nicolo, G., Semerari, A., & Carcione, A. (2008). Metacognitive interpersonal therapy in a case of obsessive–compulsive and avoidant personality disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64, 168–180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1908/1963). Character and anal eroticism. In P. Reiff (Ed.), Collected papers of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 10). New York: Collier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, J. E., Mooney, M. E., & Kushner, M. G. (2012). Prevalence, correlates, and comorbidity of DSM-IV obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Psychiatry Research, 46, 469–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grilo, C. M., Sanislow, C. A., Gunderson, J. G., Pagano, M. E., Yen, S., Zanarini, M. C., Shea, M. T., Skodol, A. E., Stout, R. L., Morey, L. M., & McGlashan, T. H. (2004). Two-year stability and change of schizotypical, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive–compulsive personality disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 767–775.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hummelen, B., Wilberg, T., Pederen, G., & Karterud, S. (2008). The quality of the DSM-IV obsessive compulsive personality disorder construct as a prototype category. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 196, 446–455.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janet, P. (1904). Les obsessions et al psychasthenie (2nd ed.). Paris: Bailliere.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mancebo, M. C., Eisen, J. L., Grant, J. E., & Rasmussen, S. A. (2005). Obsessive compulsive personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder: Clinical characteristics, diagnostic difficulties, and treatment. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 17(4), 197–204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mattia, J. I., & Zimmerman, M. (2001). Epidemiology. In W. J. Livesley (Ed.), Handbook of personality disorders: Theory, research and treatment (pp. 107–123). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGlashan, T. H., Grilo, C. M., Sanislow, C. A., Ralevski, E., Morey, L. C., Gunderson, J. G., & Pagano, M. (2005). Two-year prevalence and stability of individual DSM-IV criteria for schizotypical, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive–compulsive personality disorders: Toward a hybrid model of Axis II disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 883–889.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Millon, T. (1981). Disorders of personality: DSM-III axis I. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Millon, T., & Grossman, S. D. (2005). Sociocultural factors. In J. M. Oldham, A. E. Skodol, & D. S. Bender (Eds.), Textbook of personality disorders (pp. 223–235). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordahl, H. M., & Stiles, T. C. (1997). Perceptions of parental bonding in patients with various personality disorders, lifetime depressive disorders, and healthy controls. Journal of Personality Disorders, 11, 391–402.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, J. C., Bond, M., & Roy, C. (2007). Predictors of treatment duration and retention in a study of long-term dynamic psychotherapy: Childhood adversity, adult personality, and diagnoses. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 13, 221–232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raja, M., & Azzoni, A. (2007). The impact of obsessive–compulsive personality disorder on the suicidal risk of patients with mood disorders. Psychopathology, 40, 184–190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reich, W. (1945). Character analysis; principles and technique for psychoanalysts in practice and in training (2nd ed.) (trans: Wolfe, T. P). New York: Orgone Institute Press. (Original work published in 1933).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, A., Marinangeli, M. G., Butti, G., Kalyvoka, A., & Petruzzi, C. (2000). Pattern of comorbidity among anxious and odd personality disorders: The case of obsessive–compulsive personality disorder. CNS Spectrums, 5, 23–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sandler, J., & Hazari, A. (1960). The “obsessional”: On the psychological classification of obsessional character traits and symptoms. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 33, 113–122.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B., Wetterling, T., Sargk, D., Schneider, F., Schnabel, A., Maurer, K., & Fritze, J. (2006). Axis I disorders and personality disorders as risk factors for suicide. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256, 17–27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shea, M. T., Stout, R., Gunderson, J., Morey, L. C., Grilo, C., McGlashan, T., Skodol, A. E., Dolan-Sewell, R., Dyck, I., Zanarini, M. C., & Keller, M. B. (2002). Short-term diagnostic stability of schizotypical, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive–compulsive personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 2036–2041.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, M., Rothschild, L., & Chelminski, I. (2005). The prevalence of DSM-IV personality disorders in psychiatric outpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 1911–1918.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole M. Cain .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Cain, N.M., Mounsey, T. (2017). Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_609-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_609-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics