For the obsessive personality, the need for control is not only a defense against anxiety, it is also a building block of identity and a central force of self-esteem. The obsessional need for control includes (1) control of one's own affects and impulses; (2) control of others' opinions, attitudes, and actions: and (3) control of external events and circumstances. The latter reflects an underlying sense of omnipotence and grandiosity. In an effort to preserve such an omnipotent stance, obsessionals