Hoarding: Attempt of Affluence, Reality of Affliction

William James, known as the “philosopher of America” (Kaila & Kovailanen, 2011), had his own perspective on ownership. In 1918 he described acquisitiveness as “an instinct, something that is part of human nature, present at birth and with us throughout life. This instinct contributes to our sense of self. What is ‘me’ fuses with what is ‘mine,’ and our ‘self’ consists of what we possess” (Frost and Steketee, pp. 48). It seems that even this brilliant mind, who has been considered the father of American psychology, believed that collecting things is a part of human nature. In the western culture, society views the prominent and affluent people as those with large houses, fancy cars, and expensive things, yet those who take attainment of items to the extreme of hoarding are chastised, ridiculed and berated. However, at what point, does acquiring things as a part of human nature and as cultural norms turn into the abnormal behavior of hoarding?

People acquire material possessions for many reasons. For some people, the item may remind them of their childhood, like a toy they had when they were growing up. For others, perhaps they keep the items for sentimental reasons, like the item reminds them of a loved one that is gone. Others might be a collector simply because they like the item, like sports fans that collect memorabilia from their favorite team. It seems that hoarders have different motivations for possession accumulation. Hoarding can be defined as “the acquisition of and failure to discard large volumes of possessions, resulting in clutter that precludes normal use of living spaces,” (Tolin and Villavicencio, 2011). Hoarders collect items or even animals they like, they seem to have no self-control in order to n...

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