In psychiatry and psychology, any psychomotor activity ( e.g., morbid handwashing) performed by a person to relieve anxiety or forestall its development; typically seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder. [L. ritualis, fr. ritus, rite]
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rit·u·al 'rich-(ə-)wəl n any act or practice regularly repeated in a set precise manner for relief of anxiety <obsessive-compulsive \rituals>
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rit·u·al (richґu-əl) in psychiatry, behavior performed compulsively to relieve anxiety, as in obsessive-compulsive disorder.Medical dictionary. 2011.