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obsession

obsession Historically, obsession referred either to a person’s symptoms being attributed to an evil spirit pressing from outside without inhabiting the body, or to the persistent, irresistible presence of an idea or emotion.

Historically, obsession referred either to a person’s symptoms being attributed to an evil spirit pressing from outside without inhabiting the body, or to the persistent, irresistible presence of an idea or emotion. In the second sense, it is equivalent to an imperative idea.

Also see

Sources

Drafting source: Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1901. 1901 New York Macmillan original; archive index checked 2026-10-18. “Obsession” (Obsession).
public-domain-US · Definition uses new wording; original source retains its stated licence. · Source snapshot SHA-256: 5a57909eff5bb21c5fc893568ecad4daa30a977d19eddbffe60ce089d1f49f87

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Cite this entry

PsychTerms (psychterms.org), CC BY 4.0, version 1. “obsession.” Development preview.

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