Collecting and Hoarding

 Am I just collecting or am I hoarding? Do you know anyone that collects animals, i.e. cats; clothing, books, magazines, newspapers or some other mixture of items? Do you know anyone who engages in excessive buying that often creates a financial strain? Do you know anyone that has difficulty discarding their possessions? Do you know anyone that creates clutter in their living room, in their bedroom, in their garages, making it difficult to find a place to sit down? When shopping the hoarder likes to touch and handle things and has difficulty walking away and controlling that urge to possess and buy. Perhaps this individual is aging and also seems to invite you less and less into their home. In any event, there are other characteristics of hoarding.

According to Erich Fromm, the hoarding character is orderly and stingy with things, thoughts and feelings. The person has difficulty dealing with things that seem to be out of place. And only he can put them in order, which means the person controls the space. Irrational punctuality and/or compulsive cleanliness are other behaviors that allow the person to control time and things. This orderly individual is generally not overly clean, but could be actually dirty. And this person, often prevents anything from leaving the living space by saving. For the individual that saves, it is like fortifying his home, garage [Fortress]. And of course, that person is also stubborn and often obstinate.

This character trait allows the individual to employ possession as a means of security, or feeling safe in a dangerous world. If you possess it, you control it. Then it’s yours and yours alone. In essence we are talking about employing possession to control an irrational or dangerous world.

So if you know a collector or hoarder, you might consider suggesting professional help. And that task often presents a problem for the helper.

One might ask, what does this have to do with health and well-being?  More than likely this psychological character trait can get in the way of productivity and relationships which interferes with maximizing growth. In other words, this trait get in the way and limit one’s life. If your orientation is for hoarding , it’s the antithesis of health.

Moving, laughing, smiling, loving, bonding and appreciating is a healthier way to orient yourself to the world.