Obsessions: An Academic Perspective

You know, reading this scholarly article makes me want to delve into my obsessions even more...

"Mental obsessions are like cognitive magnets. They attract certain ideas, images or thoughts (even delusions) and then bind them to one's psyche, earning the definition of "the uncontrollable persistence of an idea or focus in the mind." People become obsessed with virtually anything. It can be money, sex, danger, pain, cleanliness, another person, one's appearance, video games, sports you name it. And these fixations can consume a person's mental existence, leaving little room for anything else."

This riveting piece by psychotherapist Philip Chard, published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel should be read in its entirety if you want a clearer understanding of why people like me do what we do.