Content area
Abstract
The purpose of this psychological study was to address the question, “what is the experience of being an obsessive compulsive male?”. I employed a qualitative research model utilizing heuristic methodology to obtain first hand depictions of the experience from ten volunteer participants. I gathered data through individual tape-recorded face to face interviews during which each co-researcher gave complete descriptions of his experience of being an obsessive compulsive male. I uncovered from verbatim transcripts several themes, including anxiety, isolation, depression, low self-esteem, guilt, shame, doubt, anger, interpersonal difficulties, addiction, suicidal ideation, disappointment with mental health professionals, loss of control, sorrow, and regret. In conducting the research I used the heuristic phases of immersion, incubation, illumination, explication, and creative synthesis. These stages guided me through the autobiographical connection to the question, the literature review, the research methods and procedures and the data analysis. I reviewed and compared this study with previous investigations and discussed the outcomes of my work and its significance for future research. Finally, I detailed the personal, professional, and social relevancy of my study and suggested implications of my findings for psychology and other fields.
