John D. Rockefeller: Turning Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Into Success

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John D. Rockefeller: Turning Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Into Success

John D. Rockefeller, the Standard Oil magnate who, by the time of his

death in 1937, was probably worth close to a billion dollars, is perhaps

one of the best historical examples of an obsessive-compulsive. An

obsessive-compulsive is one who is driven to an act or acts, generally

being asocial. By his own fixations and by nature of his peculiar psyche

he must balance these actions with others more socially acceptable. There are

abundant examples of Rockefeller's deeds fitting these clinical

characteristics, and John D. Rockefeller is today generally regarded as an

obsessive-compulsive. The roots of this disorder are traceable back to his

childhood. While much of Rockefeller's business history remains a mystery

today, it is apparent that much of his success is attributable to his

obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Franz Alexander and Louis B. Shapiro's description of the obsessive-

compulsive disorder from their book Neuroses, Behavior Disorders, and

Perversions0 is a frequently used summary of the commonly agreed-upon

characteristics. It states: "Full blown cases of obsessive-compulsive

states present a dynamic equilibrium in which obsessive preoccupation with

ego-alien fantasies... are precariously balanced by rituals representing an

exaggeration of social standards, such as cleanliness, punctuality,

consideration for others. The dynamic formula is similar to bookkeeping in

which on the one side of ledger are the asocial tendencies which the

patient tries to balance precisely on the other side with moralistic and

social attitudes... Every asocial move must be undone by an opposing

one..." The term "ego-alien" refers to thoughts, emotions or material which

are consciously detestable to the patient (though not he may not

necessarily be conscious of the reason). This summary is important, and we

will return to it later.

Rockefeller was born in 1839 and raised in a troubled, then broken, home.

His father, who sold quack "quick-heal" ailment medicines, was often away

for months at a time. Rockefeller was raised essentially by his mother.

Eventually his father consummated a bigamous marriage with a teenage

Canadian and left Rockefeller and his mother and siblings.

At an early age, it became apparent that young John was not quite like

the other children. For instance, he adamantly refused to play with other

children unless he could choose the game. In almost every description of

him as a child, he is often described as "thinking". He married Laura

Celestia Spelman, a girl who was strikingly similar to his mother, which is

never a good sign; and when he decided to go into business, he borrowed

$1000 from his father- at ten percent interest.

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