However, this study also highlights that the tendency to be obsessed with an unattainable crush may reflect personal insecurity. You may act based on deep-seated insecurities and fear of stepping into a relationship of mutual interest. When someone returns your feelings, it could cause fear or a desire to retreat.
Trauma or experiences in childhood that lead to an insecure attachment style may lead to fear of abandonment. People with a fear of abandonment may develop obsessive tendencies. People may be fearful to be alone and they may make threats or take impulsive actions in order to prevent a partner from leaving.
Obsessive Love Disorder is a psychological condition that presents as an overwhelming, obsessive desire to protect and possess another person. Often an inability to accept rejection further contributes to an unhealthy love relationship.
We become obsessed with certain people because we have fundamental neural systems that drive us into a state of infatuation, and these can be overactivated at times in our lives when we are vulnerable to the romantic potential of a person who matches our subconscious template of a desirable mate.
4) You're drawn to his personality and attitude
You might find that this person that you barely know is extremely funny, charming, strong, humble, and captivating. You might be thinking about them so much because they seem so rare. They might have a unique combination of traits that you admire and desire.
Some obsessions can stem from an experience with someone that affects an individual so much that they become fanatical about that person. This condition – often referred to as an “obsessive love disorder” (OLD)– occurs when someone mistakes feelings of obsession for feelings of love.
People with crushes will often be able to “bounce back” after, but people with obsessions will feel as if they can not live without that person in their grasp.”
In love, a little possessiveness is natural. But obsessive love does not work that way. An obsessive partner will show over-possessiveness and constantly feel scared of losing you to someone else. Their possessiveness can grow to an extent where you may feel smothered in your relationship.
While these feelings are natural in certain cases, they can also spiral out of control and have a negative impact on your self-esteem and mental health, says relationship expert, Britanny Burr. Wondering how to keep your love interest to a healthy crush, rather than a “Fatal Attraction”-level infatuation?
The roots of most obsessions come up when people are trying to fill a sense of emptiness in their lives. Some people are obsessed after having lost someone, so they obsess over something that reminds them of the lost person. It usually stems from not being able to accept loss…
Love is a feeling when a person wants the best for the one he loves, and always wants them to be happy, even if they are not part of his life. On the other hand, obsession is a crazy feeling where the person wants the other to be his or her's only.
Feelings of low self-esteem, especially when it seems like your love isn't being reciprocated. Refusal to engage in social activities that don't involve the subject of your affection. Feeling extremely possessive of the other person's time, space, and attention.
Signs of an obsessive lover
* Feeling of “ownership” over another person. Feeling extremely jealous if they interact with other people. * Having extremely strong feelings towards the other person even without having spent much time with them.
The following are some typical signs of obsession: Thinking about the other person most of the time. Stalking the other person online or following them around. Forging relationships with everyone close to them, such as friends and family, to have a part in all of their interpersonal interactions.
Infatuation is often a fantasy-based, passionate longing for someone else. It can prevent you from acknowledging their weaknesses, and may even land you in an unhealthy situation. Love is often based in reality and is fed on closeness and knowledge of the other person.
Infatuation is romance and sex rolled into one colossal high. Authentic love takes that one step further to attachment; wanting to stay together. Infatuation is about idealizing romantic love. Real love accepts the good, bad, and ugly.
Although obsession might not necessarily be unhealthy, it can be if it causes mental health challenges for you or non-consensual behaviors toward your crush. You might experience anxiety, stress, or insecurity when you feel obsessed with a crush.
Emophilia is defined by a tendency to fall in love quickly and often, which is associated with rapid romantic involvement. However, questions linger as to how it is different from anxious attachment, which also predicts rapid romantic involvement.
Sadly, an obsession can last for years without proper healing or distance. As previously explained, if the brain has a steady source of those love chemicals, it will keep coming back for more just like with any drug.
Many people who experience obsessions show a genetic predisposition to it. One thought is that obsessions may be something that we inherit through our DNA. Other experts think there may be chemical differences within some peoples' brains that might make you more likely to have obsessions.
Unfortunately, OCD doesn't just go away. There is no “cure” for the condition. Thoughts are intrusive by nature, and it's not possible to eliminate them entirely. However, people with OCD can learn to acknowledge their obsessions and find relief without acting on their compulsions.
Obsessive love disorder (OLD) is not a formally recognized mental illness but is instead more so a relationship style characterized by unhealthy obsessions for a particular person. These fixations could be romantic, sexual, or controlling in nature, and may lead to inappropriate and abusive behaviors.
People with BPD feel firmly attached to their favorite person and may depend on them for comfort, reassurance, and guidance. In many cases, someone with BPD may rely entirely on their favorite person. As a result, they may idealize them and expect them to always be available.