Most self-governing colonies have responsible government. Elected rulers are able to make most decisions without referring to the colonial power with nominal control of the colony.
I believe the answer is: <span>Learned helplessness
</span><span>Learned helplessness refers to the feel of helplesness that created by exposing an individual to a negative situation for a long period of time, to the point where they perceive the negative situation as something that 'normal' or 'supposed to happen'</span>
With the obsession of washing her hands and being very particular with cleanliness, Alex could be diagnosed of OCD or Obsessive - Compulsive disorder. This is characterized by general pattern of concern to being perfect of the environment, being very orderly, clean, and well-controlled.