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Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, involuntary thoughts, images, or ideas that can be distressing or upsetting. They can also be called interfering thoughts. These thoughts can occur spontaneously or be triggered by internal or external stimuli. They can be strange, aggressive, or sexual.

The act shown in the picture is certainly an intrusive thought.

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Heavybell@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
The act in the picture isn’t a thought at all. It’s the result of someone deciding to do something destructive to see the result. I can’t imagine the thought “what if I stuck my soldering iron in the side of my solder spool” was that unwanted, distressing or upsetting, either. After all, OP decided to do it.

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- Lightor@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Doing it or not doing it doesn’t change the type of thought it is, based on the definition. I reality we will never know, this could have been and most likely was planned. But assuming they didn’t want to waste money and destroy a roll of solder, the thought could have been intrusive then acted on. The possibility is there.
  
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  - Heavybell@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    In my understanding, intrusive thoughts is something like this: you`re walking along the street and pass a woman pushing a pram, and a thought pops up reminding you that you could kick it into the traffic if you wanted, and here’s all the consequences. And because you’re not a psycho you reel at the idea, wanting to smack your head for even imagining it. But there is no temptation, no urging. The thought cannot “win” because it is not trying to get you to do it, it’s just an imagined possible scenario.
    
    This is something different from having an impulse, which is something you could act upon as you describe. Or, I suppose, it is indeed to just decide to do something from your intrusive thoughts, but that seems unlikely because a key part of the definition of “intrusive thought” is that the thought must be unwelcome and/or distressing.
    
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    Lightor@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yes but in your description of an intrusive thought you could still act on it, you just don’t. But I’m sure there are people who at some point have.
    
    I think your last sentence is close to where I sit. In my mind there is plenty of room for overlap between the two. You can have an intrusive thought with out without the impulse to do it. Yes it is distressing, but part of the intrusive thought is that sense of morbid wonder that I have to believe some people have acted on.
    
    Also I’m no psychological expert or anything, I could be way off, it’s just my take.
    
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BingoBangoBongo@midwest.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
You also don’t act on intrusive thoughts. This meme demonstrates an impulsive thought, not an intrusive one.

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- Lightor@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I doubt anyone wants to waste a whole roll of solder. It’s an unwanted action that they had a thought about. That’s the intrusive thought, they then just acted on it.
  
  An intrusive thought is the thought, acting on it or not is separate.
  
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