@misc{cogprints1147, volume = {11}, author = {Riadh T Abed and Karel W de Pauw}, editor = {Andrew Mayes}, title = {An Evolutionary Hypothesis for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Psychological Immune System?}, publisher = {IOS Press}, journal = {Behavioural Neurology}, pages = {245--250}, year = {1999}, keywords = {Darwinism, evolutionary psychology, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder}, url = {http://cogprints.org/1147/}, abstract = {A new hypothesis is presented within the framework of evolutionary psychology that attempts to explain the origins of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is suggested that obsessions and compulsions originate from the overactivity of a mental module that the majority of humans possess and has the function of generating risk scenarios without voluntary intervention. It is hypothesised that obsessional phenomena function as an off-line risk avoidance process, designed to lead to risk avoidance behaviour at a future time, thus distinguishing it from anxiety and related phenomena as on-line emotional states, designed to lead to the avoidance of immediate and direct risks. Finally, the hypothesis makes a number of specific predictions that are testable and refutable. It is contended that the present hypothesis if supported by empirical evidence could serve as a basis for future research on this important disorder.} }