Ryerson University Psychology Prof. Gordon Emslie says that there is no conclusive explanation for why people collect obsessively. He cites several theories - biological and psychological - but says none has been conclusive in explaining the phenomenon.
The biological aspect suggests that there is something in our genes that makes us vulnerable to collecting stuff to an extreme extent. Prof. Emslie cites studies that have shown a brain abnormality of those who have this compulsion, but urges that many people have such abnormalities and don't have this problem.
Then there is Freud's theory that links obsessive collecting to childhood and the potty-training period. Parents force their children to train their bowel movements and then the child's output is promptly flushed down the toilet, suggesting that what they have produced is of no value; in fact, it is abhorrent and needs to be gotten rid of. According to Freud, adult obsessive collectors are merely hoarding things because they were accustomed to things being taken away from them during this potty-training period.
Prof. Emslie says that the personality type that would fit the bill of an obsessive collector is someone with an obsessive compulsive personality disorder. This is someone who repeats actions compulsively and integrates them into a daily ritual. Obsessive collectors who can't control themselves and who become so attached to their collection that they can't function in the outside world might do so, Prof. Emslie says, because they feel a lack of power in their lives.
"You might not be able to control something in your life, but at least you can control something like your Playbill collection, for example," he explains.
"[Obsessive Collecting] gets in the way of doing daily functions," Ryerson University Psychology Prof. David Day says. Those who collect things to an extreme extent may do so because it reduces anxiety in their lives, Prof. Day says. "These are people who say, 'I just can't stop it.' "
Sound familiar?
