The compulsion to repeat in action: a developmental perspective.

The compulsion to repeat in action is seen as being a particular way of thinking that is characteristic of the time when neurosis is formed. This type of thinking has been abundantly studied by Piaget, and is seen as a consequence of the development of more complex thought from action roots. Piaget has labelled this thinking as pre-operational, and it is seen as occurring between the ages of eighteen months and 7 years. Descriptively, it is best characterized as action-thoughts rather than as action. In the area of their neurosis, action-thoughts are a communication by the patient in the only way they can, and are consistent with Freud's earliest description of the compulsion to repeat. Finally, action-thoughts are seen as an ego restriction in the areas of a patient's conflicts.