Mental pollution: feelings of dirtiness without physical contact

An experiment was carried out in order to test the hypothesis that feelings of mental pollution can be induced without physical contact. A sample of 121 female university undergraduates were asked to imagine experiencing a non-consensual kiss at a party, as described on an audiotape, or a consensual kiss described on a comparable audiotape. The manipulation succeeded and participants in the non-consensual kiss condition reported significant feelings of mental pollution, negative emotions and cognitions, as well as the urge to wash. Further, eight participants in the non-consensual kiss condition engaged in washing/rinsing behaviour to counteract feelings of mental pollution. The results are consistent with the hypothesis and with reports from an earlier study of victims of sexual assault, a majority of whom described feelings of mental pollution post-assault. The results are also compatible with case descriptions of the onset of mental pollution and OCD subsequent to sexual trauma. Some possible implications of the results, clinical and theoretical are adumbrated.