Over-responsible people are people-pleasers who suppress and repress themselves to prioritise others and to minimise or eliminate conflict, criticism, rejection, disappointment and loss.
Also known as an inflated sense of responsibility, hyper-responsibility is when you feel that you have more control over the world than you actually do. You might feel responsible for things that you can't realistically control, including how other people behave and feel, natural disasters, accidents, and more.
One of the driving forces behind OCD is an inflated sense of responsibility, or hyper-responsibility. Those who suffer from hyper-responsibility believe they have more control over what happens in the world than they actually do.
If something goes wrong, do you feel the entire weight of that outcome? If so, these could be signs that you have an overactive sense of responsibility. Over-responsibility can be a hard habit to break. Helping others makes us feel good: We feel competent, reduce our stress, and avoid conflict.
The obsession (guilt), leads to the compulsion (taking responsibility), which alleviates the guilt, which in turn reinforces the belief that taking responsibility makes those bad feelings go away. In a sense, taking responsibility becomes an addicting escape from persistent feelings of guilt.
Responsibility OCD is a subset of OCD centered around anxiety and guilt. Sufferers are less concerned about their own welfare, and more concerned with the repercussions of their actions or non-actions.
An international study found people who reported intense feelings of responsibility were susceptible to developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
Taking on someone else's responsibility, without even being asked. Trying to make sure everyone else feels OK. Speaking for someone else who is capable of speaking up for themselves. Taking the consequences of someone else's problem.
Possessing an overwhelming sense of responsibility which leads to believing that everything is our fault. Trying to solve people's problems—even when they don't want help! Doing someone else's work for them. Covering for, adopting, and enabling people around us. Habitually offering unsolicited advice.
What is an over-active sense of responsibility? The idea that you are responsible for things beyond your control, and becoming obsessive with this sense of responsibility for others, is sometimes linked with actual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
This is called hyper-responsibility and it is common in people with OCD. Because you were the first person to see the nail – protecting others has become YOUR responsibility. So, if you don't pick up the nail and someone steps on it – it is YOUR fault.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others.
: able to answer for one's conduct and obligations : trustworthy. b. : able to choose for oneself between right and wrong. 3. : marked by or involving responsibility or accountability.
Once we meet a certain threshold, taking on more responsibility only ties our hands, makes us feel overwhelmed and renders us less productive, less able to respond. It's time to realign our obligations toward things we are truly passionate about.
all in the name of accountability. tox·ic ac·count·a·bil·i·ty. Using power and punishment as a response to non-egregious actions to hold someone to your version of right. Especially toxic if the individual was unaware of your perspective and expectations. Related: cancel culture; gaslighting.
Catering to too many opinions. The phrase “Too many cooks spoil the broth” sounds apt to elucidate negative accountability. Even if you want your employees to own their work, your criticisms should have a proper backing with reasons instead of multiple opinions.
However, for those of us in the real world, the burden of too many responsibilities can result in sleepless nights, a lot of stress and generally being unhappy with your life.
While there's nothing wrong with taking on additional responsibilities, if you're not careful to draw the line somewhere, it can become a problem. When you have too much on your plate, not only can the quality of your work start to suffer, but your relationships and commitments outside of work may take a blow as well.
People with this subtype of OCD experience frequent, intrusive, unwanted thoughts that they could be responsible for something awful happening because they did not perform specific actions or because of something they did or didn't do in the past.
Moral scrupulosity OCD will tell you that your awareness of a potential moral quandary is the same thing as signing a contract to solve the moral quandary. This not only applies to yourself and the all of the compulsions it tells you to do to prove that you are morally clean, but often to others as well.
One that seems to be prevalent for some is the obsessive desire for “people pleasing.” This is not to say that everyone with OCD will have these traits, but many people who exhibit “people pleasing” tendencies may do so due to the overthinking that the condition can cause.