Subtitle/Alternate Title
An Examination of Scrupulosity OCD in the Lives of Catholic Saints
First Advisor
Dr. Julia Brumbaugh
Second Advisor
Dr. Lara Narcisi
Third Advisor
Dr. Amy Schreier
Reader
Dr. Katie Emery
College
Regis College
Degree Name
BA
Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Number of Pages
65 pages
Abstract
Mental illness has a significant impact on how people experience Catholicism. However, since the Catholic Church has existed for thousands of years and the discussion of mental health is a relatively recent societal phenomenon, not much thought has been given to this crossover. This thesis, taking obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in the experience of Catholicism as a case study, explains the impacts of OCD in general and scrupulosity as a specific manifestation of it, in religious practice. I show what the Catholic Church says about scrupulosity through her Jewish roots, texts in the New Testament, and modern tools meant to combat it. Finally, I examine the lives of Catholic saints who dealt with scrupulosity OCD and the fruits – both for them as they went through the struggle of scrupulosity and for people today that might be dealing with the same issues – that came from their experience.
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Location (Creation)
Denver, Colo.
Copyright
© Samuel Wells
Rights Statement
All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.
Recommended Citation
Wells, Samuel, "That They May Have Life" (2025). Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection). 1153.
https://epublications.regis.edu/theses/1153
Included in
Biblical Studies Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, Counseling Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Practical Theology Commons, Psychology Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons
