Animals and humans both engage in hoarding behavior
Animals and humans both engage in the behavior of hoarding, which involves the amassing of particular goods or foods. Animals that gather and store sustenance for later use include rats. When it comes to people, hoarding is either a behavioral disorder or a way to deal with crises like natural catastrophes and social unrest. For instance, during natural catastrophes like floods, a person might hoard food and water supplies in the belief that the supply will be limited and they will need them soon. This essay looks at a few social factors that contribute to hoarding as a habit.
Hoarders typically build up items or possessions in living spaces
Hoarders typically build up items or possessions in living spaces, taking up room and producing a backlog of possessions. The problem with hoarding is that it is quite different from collecting; hoarding infers piling items in a disorganized manner while collecting portrays organization. An individual may hold an item that another may consider rubbish, turning behavior into a disorder. Excessive emotional attachment to an item is a major cause of hoarding. When a person has an emotional attachment to an item, it becomes difficult to discard the item in a manner suggesting disposal. One would argue that emotional attachment arises from the passion for collecting particular things, but the idea of creating a huge collection of possessions and a backlog is somehow not in order (Samuel et. al 8). With the items limiting space and enhancing dirt, hoarders risk health hazards, fire outbreaks, and unhygienic living conditions. Items creating emotional attachments include gifts and stolen items among others.
The assumption of the future usage of an item may compel an individual to hoard
The assumption of the future usage of an item may compel an individual to hoard. As discussed earlier, an individual may hoard an item by believing that the object has a future purpose or that its supply is limited. For example, you may anticipate that the upcoming rains will limit mobility and buy and accumulate food or warm clothes to prepare for the future situation. Additionally, hoarders have the perception that the possessions are of a high intrinsic value. Most hoarders are poor decision-makers, believing that a particular possession has a high monetary value. Accumulating the items for future sale or retaining the object to maintain the feeling of attachment and closeness is a reason behind the value. However, some items have little or no monetary value and individuals hoard the objects as a clutter interfering with their lives (Cherrier and Tresa 4). Some objects that cause stress and lower the quality of life for individuals enhance hoarding activities. For example, a person may dump stock materials in the kitchen if he or she can not access the store.
Beliefs, especially related to adequacy and identity, play a vital role in influencing hoarding
Beliefs, especially related to adequacy and identity, play a vital role in influencing hoarding. For instance, consider someone with the belief that hoarding books enhances intelligence and individual thinking. The hoarder piles many books with the urge to gain intelligence. However, such activities pose a great danger to the individual's life, such as the risk of fires and creating habitats for animals. To some extent, a hoarder may not always keep existing items, but also acquire objects excessively. The main issue with hoarding is lack of organization and having difficulty with discarding items. Difficulties in information processing may influence an individual to hoard items due to deficits in decision-making, attention-focusing, and organizing. Old age is not to blame for the deficits; the behavior of hoarding may come about due to mental disorders. Research suggests that people who have mental illness are likely to become hoarders.
Genetic predisposition is another perceived cause of hoarding
Genetic predisposition is another perceived cause of hoarding where the likelihood of developing hoarding behavior increases if a parent of an individual has the tendency to hoard. Although research does not justify hoarding as a mental disorder, the genetic variations passed across generations may influence the occurrence of hoarding. In most cases, it is not easy to ascertain that hoarding is a disorder, since most of the hoarders have passion and place significant value on the objects. Relating hoarding to genetics insinuates that hoarding is a disorder commonly known as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Psychiatrists relate hoarding with OCD, social phobia, personality, and mood disorders among other comorbidities (Samuel et. al 2).
The hoarding disorders or activities tend to run in some families
The hoarding disorders or activities tend to run in some families, where some of the members are hoarders. Due to the exposure to the prevailing environment, a family member may become a hoarder. In the same way, consider a hoarding neighboring environment that may share the idea with the rest and influence some members to collect objects. Certain environments may create stress, including the dirty, noisy, and violent among others. Children growing in such environments may opt to become hoarders or emulate the neighbors with the same behavior. Finally, hoarding is perceived as a way of individual comfort and consolation for harsh moments in life (Samuel et. al 8). As discussed earlier on emotional attachments with objects, an individual may stock objects to cure loss dents such as those caused by the death of relatives and stocking objects for self-comfort and consolation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, hoarding has a major cause that includes emotional attachments to objects, environmental causes, genetic predisposition, and certain individual beliefs. Hoarders accumulate items in a disorganized manner that may create several hazards.
Works Cited
Cherrier, Hélène, and Tresa Ponnor. “A Study of Hoarding Behavior and Attachment to Material Possessions.” Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, 2010, pp. 8-23.
Samuels, Jack F., et al. “Prevalence and Correlates of Hoarding Behavior in a Community-Based Sample.” Behavior Research and Therapy, vol. 46, no. 7, 2008, pp. 836-844.
