Mr. Carpenter is constantly afraid that he is going to oversleep and be late for work. As a result, he spends nearly an hour total each night making certain that his alarm clock is correctly set and saying "It's set, it's set, it's set" each of the times he checks it. This repetitive action is what clinical psychologists refer to as a
A) compulsion.
B) delusion.
C) hallucination.
D) obsession.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mr. Carpenter's repetitive action of checking his alarm clock and verbally confirming it is set multiple times is a compulsion. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly, often to reduce anxiety or distress.

Mr Carpenter Is Constantly Afraid That He Is Going to Oversleep