Disgust and Its Disorders


Buy It Now!

Book informs and is thought provoking
(June 2009 Issue)

�Disgust and Its Disorders:
Theory, Assessment, and
Treatment Implications�
By Bunmi O. Olatunji and Dean McKay
American Psychological Association
Washington, D.C., 2009

By James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA

Disgust is a primary emotion, easily recognized by facial expression and commonly associated with avoidant behavior. It also has an evolutionary adaptive function that is species-protective. This book examines how disgust, across the lifespan and within a cross-cultural context, plays a role in the origin and maintenance of psychopathological disorders.

Editors Bunmi O. Olatunji and Dean McKay introduce their book by noting that there were virtually no publications about disgust until the 1990s. This lack of attention may have resulted because psychologists were more interested in other emotions (e.g., fear and anger) and "the topic of disgust is itself disgusting!" Nevertheless, disgust is now an area of specialization for many researchers, most of whom are featured in the book. One reason for a book on this topic is that disgust is a phenomenon found in clinical problems such as anxiety disorders, OCD and phobias. Furthermore, there have been scientific advances which permit more controlled analysis of so-called "disgust elicitors." These developments, elaborated in the book, include the ability to simulate disgust under laboratory conditions, the design of psychometrically sound assessment instruments and the emergence of neuroscience technologies.

There are three central areas addressed among the book's 14 chapters. Importantly, several chapters review etiology: how is disgust acquired? Rather than a single theory, disgust is best understood through associative learning, cognitive mediation and biological mechanisms. I particularly enjoyed how the book looked at etiology from developmental and cultural perspectives.

The second dominant focus of the book concerns basic science influences on disgust. Both psychophysiology and neuroanatomy are reviewed. These chapters articulate well the complex process of untangling disgust from other emotional states, as well as the impact of cognition on a person experiencing an object or event as "disgusting."

Finally, the book discusses the treatment of disgust. In separate chapters, authors write about animal, insect, and blood-injury-injection phobias, fear of contamination and eating disorders. Two other chapters summarize the status of current treatment research and application.

"Disgust and Its Disorders" was written for students, clinicians, and social scientists. Most readers will be unfamiliar with the subject matter but will learn quickly why the study of disgust is intimately tied to psychopathology. The editors are due high praise because all of the contributors to the book have written first-rate chapters that inform and stimulate thinking. Yes, the book's title may be off-putting but reading some or all of the chapters will open your eyes to a fascinating subject that demands clinical scrutiny.

James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA, is senior vice president, applied research, clinical training and peer review at the May Institute in Norwood, Mass.