The Imp of the Mind

The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts by Lee Baer, Dutton, 2001. 

Summary

The author, Lee Baer, discusses something he names “The Imp of the Perverse,” after a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. It is a little devil in our mind, which makes us think of doing things that are wrong. For most people, such bad thoughts are fleeting and easily ignored. But some people cannot stop worrying about doing terrible things. Some examples of obsessive bad thoughts are: killing a loved one, violent sex, raping ones daughter, sexually abusing ones baby while bathing him/her, sex with the Virgin Mary, smashing a crucifix, sex with animals, blurting out obscenities, shouting racial epithets, running over a pedestrian, throwing a baby off of a bridge. 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive bad thoughts are a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. Hand washing, cleaning, hoarding, and rituals are more widely known forms of OCD. There are several common mental maladies that are closely related to obsessive bad thoughts, such as, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome and OCPD (see immediately below).

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

Obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is an ailment related to OCD. Examples of obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) include perfectionism being a workaholic, frugality. 

Scrupolosity

Scrupulosity is a form of OCPD. People with it are inflexible regarding ethical rules. In Ultra-Orthodox Jews it may manifest itself as an obsession with following dietary laws. For Muslims it means worrying about the correct performance of religious rituals, such as washing. For a discussion of scrupulosity in Roman Catholicism, see works by William E. Minichiello and Joseph W. Ciarrocchi. 

Acting on Them

The vast majority of people who have such bad thoughts never act on them. They feel guilty and ashamed of having such thoughts, and they try, on their own, to stop having such thoughts. Sometimes they self-medicate with alcohol. The people you need to worry about are the ones who don’t feel guilty about having bad thoughts. They are more likely to act on them. Signs you may have a more serious problem include: hearing voices, seeing things others do not see, having the urge to harm oneself, thinking people are against you, intense anger at minor slights, a history of having acted on violent thoughts.