Symptoms: The symptoms of Scrupulosity are wide ranging because they are as unique as the individuals experiencing them. Still, there are several distinct types of Scrupulosity syndromes which all inevitably result in a ever deepening downward spiral of regret, remorse, and self-recrimination:

1> Ultra-Repentant Sinners: The original meaning of the word sin came from archery and meant "missing the target. Like the archer, we are meant to try and try again until, with practice, we hit the mark. The scrupulous spend long hours racking their brains to uncover the slightest evidence of un-repented sins. They constantly worry that they have committed sins, forgotten about them, and neglected to repent. No matter what they do in seeking forgiveness for "missing the mark", they never feel forgiven. And the unbearable weight of unforgiveness makes them repent repeatedly and extravagantly.

2> Rigid Ritualists: Rituals are meant to bring a sense of familiarity, comfort, and order to a chaotic universe by temporarily absorbing the individual's attention while the ritual is being performed. Rituals are not intended to become a way of life… and when they do, these once comforting practices become joyless, mechanistic, and destructive to productive daily living. Like other OCD compulsions, the person often wants to stop but cannot due to fears of "eternal damnation".

3> Blasphemy Police: No one expects or likes the Inquisition but that is the unfortunate result of those who are the self appointed "Blasphemy Police". Their motives are often pure and well intentioned: trying to prevent those daily karmic infractions that pile up and "pave the road to hell". They obsess over every action of themselves and others around them. It causes them mental, emotional, and even physical pain if they have performed or have witnessed blasphemy in action. They feel that they are the "karma police" and must do something" to "stop the insanity" although it is not often wise to do so.

4> Shunned into Silence: Those who suffer the most from Scrupulosity are those who suffer alone in shame filled silence. Often this has happened because those around the scrupulous individual "cannot take it anymore" and they berate the sufferer until the individual is "shunned into silence". Worse, the scrupulous may be so paralyzed by fear, doubt, and confusion, that they find it best to say and do as little as possible. For they believe "sins of omission" carry less weight than "sins of commission".