Why do I feel compelled to do things that I shouldn't?
 

Ok, I've got to start with an apology to those of you who clicked on this thread hoping to read about how I enjoy molesting marmosets or drinking Bosco and Vodka on the job. My compulsions are much more mundane.

Perhaps an example would serve to illustrate: When I see a "Wet Paint" sign, I feel really compelled to touch the surface to find out if the paint is really wet?! When I see a button or switch that says "Do Not Touch", I have to resist the urge to touch it. I find these urges to be particularly strong when there doesn't seem to be a real reason not to touch said button. If I am touring a hydroelectric dam and there is a "Do Not Touch" sign on the button marked "Open Floodgates" I don't feel like I need to push it... Ok, maybe a little bit. But if I see a light switch in a hallway that is similarly marked, I will most likely flick it on and off to see why someone felt the need to mark it that way. Maybe it is a simple as a desire to interact with my environment. A need to see what things do and don't do. Maybe it is a bit of mild obsessive-compulsive disorder. Does OCD even come in a "mild" form? Does anyone else have similar experiences to share?

This isn't something that I really feel the need to address in my life, just a curious aspect of my personality that I thought I would share. I'd like to know of anyone else here who has similar compulsions in their own life.

Maybe you just have a boring life and you feel the urge to spice it up a bit?!

Eh, my life has its share of excitement. I don't get bored... I have an intellectually stimulating job, plenty of hobbies, a good relationship with my wife. I don't think that boredom is a factor.

Your username reminds me that I have the last book in the Dark Tower series sitting at home that I need to read when I find the time. :)

For the same reason that I feel the need to do these sort of things. We all know things you aren't supposed to do - like put a toaster in the bathtub. But people who know how toasters are made and how electricity actually works know that most toasters you can toss in a tub with impunity (DON'T TRY THIS IS YOU DONT KNOW WHICH TOASTER YOU HAVE).

This can be proven by your disinclination to open the floodgates, but your inclination to flip the switch. You don't want to be told not to do something, you want to be told WHY not to do something. You should be applauded for retaining your curiosity - it's sad that most adults tend to give that up.

In the canyon near my house the road makes a sharp turn at one point. If you went straight there is a natural rock outcropping that looks a lot like a ramp. Everytime I drive down the canyon I'm tempted to just go straight and go sailing of the ramp. I'm not suicidal, or even a hardcore thrill seeker, but I have an urge to drive it everytime. So I understand your urges to do things that you probably shouldn't.

I have a similar problem. I think it stems from being told not to do something. Human nature is to do what we want and when we are told that we can't, we feel the need to prove the sign wrong.

It isn't a problem until you start acting on your impulses.

Even then, don't do it. They were testing this on Mythbusters, and they tossed a hair dryer that was supposed to have the killswitch on it. It kept running and pumping water in the tub.

Great responses! I am glad to know that I am not the only one who feels this way sometimes. I think that the "we don't like to be told what to do" viewpoint is the one that rings the most true with me.

Oh, forgot to mention... I'm OK with a 'don't do this' message as long as it tells me why I shouldn't do it. Otherwise, I'm tempted to do so just to see what would happen.

See, this is why they tell you not to throw a toaster in the bathtub. The correct to throw in isn't because of a killswitch, but due to the metal chassis of the toaster (and a grounding line - which many toasters don't have). Throwing a plastic toaster will kill you. But you're right, the general advice of not throwing a toaster in the bathtub is sound enough for most people.

I wasn't suggesting that people throw toasters into the bathtub, just that fully understanding why you should or shouldn't do something makes life much more interesting!

Yes it is possible to have mild OCD but it technically isn't a disorder unless it negatively effects your dailey life. Another sign of OCD is a fear of doing somethings, like if youre standing near a ledge and you fear you might jump (for no reason) or when driving you fear you might turn the wheel sharply and flip your car (again for no reason).

Otherwise I think we all have general urges to do things we arn't supposed to, that's why there are cartoons of people pushing the "Do Not Touch" button. With me it's when people tell me I can't do something, it makes me want to do it all the more.

It's human nature
 

Absolutely perfect comic!

I`m right in the middle of it. If by any means boredom should slip in your life, read it!! ;)

haha I have these thoughts all the time.

Mine are much worse though.

For example, if I'm meeting someone, I don't know why, but sometimes I think, "I wonder what would happen if I just punched him in the face..."

*shrug*

I don't act on it, I never intend to, but the thoughts are still there. I personally think it's funny :D

Out of the blue question. But what is your proffesion?

You have this compulsion for the same reason that, in telling a child not to touch the cookie jar, you are most assuredly telling them not only to touch the jar, but reach their hand in to find out if there really are cookies in a cookie jar.

So what if it's filled with scorpions instead?

That's why it's best to explain why you should not do something, not simply say you should not. It's a form of communication, and human beings desperatly desire it.

He doesn't have time! There are too many otherwise unlabelled "do not touch" switches to get through!!!

I knew someone who always had to fuck up. At first I thought she was just trying to add some spice to life or defy authority but, it really just came down to basic stupidity. It's not hard to be stupid and the consequences get you noticed by someone, even if it's an automated bill collector with a bad attitude.

Crazy part is.. it works. Watch TV news and you don't hear about all the good stuff going on in the world. It's all about what went wrong and how awful that is. Or about Paris Hilton. Did you hear what she did last week? Seriously... it was crazy.

I have similar tendencies. Sometimes the urges get stronger than they should, but I'm always shrugging them off. For example, i was on a date...and i suddenly felt the urge to slam the door on to my date as i opened the door for her....weird huh?

Sometimes, even i scare myself.

I bet most people have these weird impulses every now and then. It's probably the brain trying to keep the sanity check and impulse control in shape.

I missed that one :-(

Mythbusters is the best show on discovery. What a great gig. And to think they're being paid. Hell, I'd pay them to let me help!

Matteo, I work as a research scientist. It is interesting work because I spend my time pursuing different ideas and balancing between conducting research at the bench, reading new publications, writing my experimental results for publication, etc.

at some point in time I stopped having those desires... I didn't want to "learn by doing anymore" I would rather use someone else's wisdom and experience so that I can focus on other things.

You're just like th rest of us. Some just have more balls than others to defy authority or maybe even gravity.

You have issues with authority due to parents who used the "because I said so" argument constantly.

I've always had exactly the same problem, sometimes with posted arnings, other times just with things that I know I shouldn't be messing with. Sometimes things just stick in my head and make my mind wander.

A perfect example is one time many years ago when I had this job interview for a really useless job, and I was talking to this guy on the 25th floor of the building his offic ewas on. He was behind his desk with his back to this huge window, and as this bastard was talking down to me for a job I already knew I wasn't going to get, I got this thought in my head of how funny it would be to walk around his desk, pick him up wihle his fat pimply ass was still in his chair, and then just through him through the big window.

It was wierd, I could NOT get this thought out of my head, and hen I sensed that he asked me a question, and I kind of snapped out of it and realized he was waiting for an answer to, um, something. I just laughed, out loud, and said, I'm sorry, but I think I need to go now, have a nic day... and I got up and walked out.

Anyway,it's not exacly the same, but I have to confess that there are switches and butons all over the place that are on when they should be off because I had access to it. And, no, no interviewer was hurt during the writing of this response.

Peace,

Pierre

I have trouble staying out of "restricted" areas. I like to see the guts behind the pretty face of shopping malls. Or better yet, places that aren't restricted but are the kind of place you "shouldn't be". Once i wandered around in the 2nd sub basement of an airport for hours looking around.

Ahhhh.... the paradoxical effects of attempted thought suppression. When you're told to not think of the white bear, you will.

Plain and simple, thats how we learn. It's programmed in us to try new things. If we didn't do that, we as a society wouldn't evolve.

wow!!! it's good to know that i'm not the only one like that!! man have i gotten in trouble for pushing buttons i shouldn't have pushed.

A humorous update for those of you who are still interested.

The latest example of how this compulsion has gotten me into (not so) hot water: I was asked along on a on-site visit to a new building on campus where some new laboratory space is being created. We were asked to visit the labs and give our feedback on what the building had to offer. Unofficially, we were also looking for reasons *not* to move there ourselves as we really don't want to change our lab surroundings. Fortunately for me, as you'll see in a minute, our tour group consisted only of me and two of my colleagues. We toured around these huge new labs and discussed what we thought of them and whether we could do work there if we were forced to move. My two co-workers moved off in search of the autoclave facilities for the floor that we were on. I was poking around myself at the front of one of the labs.

Now this building is brand new and supposed to be very well equipped for everything a modern lab needs. The area where the lab work will be done is still empty of any equipment, but the common areas are plumbed and wired and ready to go. Unfortunately, everything is not well labelled just yet. Hence my friends search for the autoclave. So I'm standing in this large open doorway to a common area hallway. I spy this rubber handled stainless steel lever partially recessed in the wall to my right. Just below the lever, I see a stainless steel panel flush mounted into the wall. Don't get ahead of me here! I am thinking to myself that this might be some new feature of this new building, right. Maybe a trash disposal chute. You pull the lever down to open, close the panel, raise the lever, and your trash is wisked down to a central trash area. Sounds cool and, yes, gets my curiousity up. This unlabelled lever MUST be tested. So, I reach out and grab hold. A quick pull downward....



I hear a WHOOOSH sound from above me. A split second later, roughly 10 gallons of water courses over my head. I was totally soaked. My shirt was clinging to my body, my hair was plastered to my head, my socks were wet! I reach back for the lever and push it back up into the off position. I had just discovered the EMERGENCY shower for the new labs. My colleagues came back around the corner at that second.

"What the... What happened!"
"Just testing the plumbing," I replied. "It works."

It was toward the end of the workday, thankfully. So, now I have found that unlabeled buttons and levers can have just as dangerous of an attraction to me as those labelled, "Do Not Touch."

I do have some mild OCD and believe me, these compulsions happen a lot more. Playing my guitar I've been tempted to smash it against the floor to see what happens, or taking a CD from its case I've wanted to snap it for no reason. Then there's more serious stuff like shaving and wanting to cut my wrists with the razor. I'm not suicidal but I still get these compulsions. It's a bugger, but I've always been able to suppress them... so far.

Maybe because you're a bad person :(

Hehehe...
Glad to know I'm not alone in my insanity.

I have a similar problem, which is best explained by saying I have an to make stable things unstable.

The best example I can give is when watching theatre or any other form of live entertainment, as everyone is completely engrossed in the moment and enjoying their
alternate reality I have a huge compulsion to rush up on stage shouting 'its not real, itas all just a play'.

Sometimes the thought occupies my mind so much that I simply cannot concentrate on what I'm watching. Weird.

i used to have a quote in my AIM profile a while ago that went something like this:

"
The Cheetah is the world's fastest land animal.
Ok, I'll buy that.

Modern computers can process millions of instructions per second.
Ok, I'll buy that.

'Sir, be careful. This plate is hot.'
I think I'll test this one out myself.
"

It's the mystery. It says "Do Not Touch" but it doesn't say why. It says, "Wet Paint" but it doesn't say when it was painted. I'm the same way ... as are most engineers. When you're inquisitive, it's generally not accepted too well by the rest of society ... because most people aren't. They are perfectly happy accepting everything on faith. Not me. Of course, I've had my hands in enough machines, that I usually don't flick any switches just to see what they do. Of course, when I work on stuff, I REMOVE the switch (or disable it somehow). But, go on touching wet paint. Worst it could do is piss off a painter.

This is a part of St. Augustine's confessions:

[QUOTE]In what appears to be an almost innocuous event, Augustine aptly demonstrates the implications of personal sin in his recounting the theft of some pears during his adolescent years. On the surface the event seems harmless enough: the young Augustine and his friends stop in a neighbor’s orchard and steal some of his pears. They stole the pears, he writes, not because they were hungry, but simply for the sake of taking them, for afterwards they threw them to the pigs to eat. The strange part of the story for many contemporary readers is that Augustine makes this little foible out to be the worst kind of sin imaginable [Conf. 2.4]. Is this guy for real?

What is the point of this weird little story? Does it represent, as one author puts it, nothing more than a demonstration of Augustine's "neurotic verbal flagellation" [Miles, Desire and Delight, 28]? I believe that we can read this story as a kind of symbolic representation of all human sinfulness. What makes Augustine's act so darn bad is that he has now reached the age of reason and he clearly has some idea of what is right and wrong. He knows that God's law prohibits theft of any kind, and yet he steals anyway. His real sin is not theft, but pride--thinking that he is above God and His Law [2.5 -2.6].