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Object Relations Theory: developed from the work of Neo-Freudian Melanie Klein, this deals with the way relationships between the young child and his/her 'love objects' are represented and the effect this has on the way the child develops through into adulthood.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): a serious condition characterised by undesirable - sometimes highly-disturbing - and intrusive thoughts and compulsive, often ritualistic behaviours. The behaviours, though not always obviously so, serve to compensate for, control or distract from the unwanted thoughts.
Clare W Graves saw OCD as the result of emerging BLUE fighting back the impulses of RED which would fit with Carl Gustav Jung's assertion that OCD was the intrusion into consciousness of threatening sexual and agressive ideas being warded off through ritualistic behaviours and/or repeated verbal incantations.
At a biological level OCD has been associated with problems in the caudate nucleus affecting sigalling between the orbitofrontal cortex and the thalamus.

Operant Conditioning: first identified conceptually by Edward Thorndike, this is leaning through the consequnces of behaviour - either reinforcement (reward) or punishment. (Thorndike talked of "stamping in" and "stamping out" behaviour.) See also Behaviourism.

Orbitofrontal Cortex: a part of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex associated with learning.

Organisation LifeCycle: