Losing It

Honey, I Shrunk The Spitzer:
"Reaction Formation is when an individual's behavior or actions are the exact opposite of what he feels at his core (or possibly unconscious) level. In Spitzer's case, it means that the corruption fighter in his core was -- or needed to be -- corrupt. The more corrupt he was, or felt he was, the more he had to fight corruption in others -- and fight it with a tenacity and ruthlessness that was fueled in fact, by his own failings. Classically, he even denounced and went after prostitution rings -- kind of like a priest railing against sin and then taking a boy to bed. The outward purity and rigidity is a defense mechanism that helps him to feel better about his inner needs.

Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior (as opposed to a full-fledged obsessive-compulsive disorder) is the attempt to control internal chaos or obsessive thoughts. In Spitzer's case, he might have been trying to control his apparent sexual needs -- and, maybe more importantly, his need to push the limits into dangerous territory. By focusing on control or perfectionism, the individual offsets or distracts from the unconscious danger. So, by behaving in a strict, ordered, manner (always wearing white shirts, for instance), the Governor appeared to be the opposite of what, internally, he really was."