Sociology Of Hoarding Summary

Is there anything you own, particularly anything expensive which the thought of living without sends a shiver down your spine? You’d almost certainly be lying if you said no. There are so many amazing (but pricey) things you can buy these days, like super advanced smartphones, consoles with every kind of game imaginable and life size statues of TV characters (should you be so inclined).

In her essay “Stuff is Not Salvation”, Anna Quindlen speaks on the topic of Americans’ ridiculous addiction to purchasing products. Quindlen believes that this addiction is a bigger issue than losing jobs, and even homes. She explains how American’s tend to frequently replace undamaged items and leave old items to gather dust. With the use of credit, one can now purchase items without physical money, resulting in the accumulation of debt. Important things, such as bills and medicine, are often put behind the wants of new items. Her conclusion is that salvation, or happiness, cannot and will not come from purchased items. With the use of various aspects within her piece, Quindlen makes a valid argument towards her statement of “stuff is not

Producers are enablers. They encourage people to spend money on things they don’t need and aren’t necessities. Consumers are like drug addicts, they shop for things they don’t need and are constantly striving to acquire what they don’t have. “We Americans are beyond a simple, possessive materialism.” (Rose) Americans have developed a shopping problem. We buy things simply for the

I agree with Hill’s argument that one tends to buy more than what they use. I, for instance, am one of those individuals. Hill mentions this by saying “Members of every socioeconomic bracket can and do deluge themselves with products” (Hill 1). For instance, I remember when I received my first payment from babysitting. I was thrilled with the idea of finally being able to rely on myself to buy all the things I wanted. So, I headed towards the mall and went on a shopping spree. As a result, I arrived home with bags of merchandise as I unloaded them I became aware I had bought a lot of things I didn’t need. As the days passed I became conscious of how I didn’t use much of what I had bought but bought them because I liked the idea of being able to buy whatever I wanted without having anyone tell me what I couldn’t buy. Not only does Hills argument make sense but also makes an important

Judith Levine wrote the book “Not Buying It’’.It is a nonfiction book about Judith Levine,along with her friend Paul,to go 12 months(1 year)without shopping . Levine researched consumerism and anti-consumerist movements.Judith Levine was led to write “Not Buying It’; because she thought it was “the confession of a woman any reader can identify with.Someone who can’t live without French roast coffee or SmartWool socks,but someone who has reached their limit with our consumption,and its effects on the earth and everyone who dwells here”.

“On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner is an eye opening piece, which shows how even the most minimally simplistic lifestyle can have a sense of home. While many people do not see life as meaningful without riches, Eighner shows us otherwise. In effect, Eighner gives me a different perspective on how much our society takes for granted by having a first person view, seeing the arrogance of our actions, and noticing a pleasant life does not have to include riches. Seeing it from the other side of the spectrum, I have come to realize the disappointing fact that while it may seem that we do not realize how wasteful we are, there are people with need desperately needing and looking for our squandered goods. With Eighner showing us this lifestyle through his eyes, it gives me a deeper understanding of dumpster diving.

In the book, Brave New World, written by Adolus Huxley the author demonstrates how consumerism fills the underminded individuals with artificial "happiness" due to unnessacary luxuries. With the huge emphasize of consumptions, it makes them feel obliterated to buy, buy and buy without the need to. For example, in our era we are filled with luxuries like; electronics, endless amounts of clothing, expensive shoes or watches. We like the thought of a seven-hundred dollar watch on our wrists because it fills people with exictment taunting them to buy more and more expensive materials. In BNW, buying is considered second nature.

Author Anna Rosenberg gives a vivid example of a life story. When Rosenberg talks about Judith Levine, author of Not Buying: My year Without Shopping, she show enough evidence to prove that shopping addiction is a real problem in society and not only that, but the type of products customers spend their money on. Anna Rosenberg took her time to analyze the problem afterwards she also give some advice on her article Field Guide to the Materialist: She’s Gotta Have It. Some of Rosenberg’s suggestions to consumers were, to ask themselves when buying something if I really need it? What is the real reason I want it? What are the disadvantages of buying it? and to not beat themselves with those

The society enforces consumers to unawarely advertise products with the cost of their close ones. Kunzru and Chang wish for people to cease marketing of goods, because they eventually become capable of sacrificing their families and friends for materialistic objects. The authors do not desire their readers to be driven apart from their families and friends due to objects the

In this essay I will be outlining consumerism and claims that a consumer society is always a throw-away society. Consumption plays a big part in our lives and causes us to live in divided societies. It may make us feel like we fit in buying new gadgets and clothes and also give us that sense of belonging but we don’t take into account what happens to the old items and packaging. People do not want to look at the problems caused. I will use this essay with the evidence I have read

Anna Quindlen, a novelist, social critic, and journalist wrote an intriguing essay “Stuff is Not Salvation” about the addiction of Americans, who splurge on materialistic items that have no real meaning. The ability to obtain credit is one of the main reasons to blame for society’s consumption epidemic. However, Quindlen feels the economic decline due to credit card debt is insignificant compared to the underlying issues of American’s binging problems. Quindlen’s essay gives excellent points regarding the differences in America’s typical shopping habits. Additionally, she mentions how people acquire all this “stuff” but seem to never realize, “why did I get this?”(501). Quindlen makes her

Ever since getting a credit card, online shopping has become a bit of an unhealthy habit of mine. For hours, I could browse Amazon and Ebay, craving for an amazing, life-changing deal. Despite this initial desire to obtain new material objects like clothing and vinyl records, often the luster of the purchase and affection towards the items wears off quickly over time, creating another void for the online purchasing cycle to fill again. Hence in the reading of Randy O. Frost’s and Gail Steketee’s book Stuff, I found the section pertaining to the difference between materialism and hoarding to be immensely interesting, as a fairly materialistic person myself.

Hoarding is defined as the acquirement of, and inability to discard worthless items even though they appear to have no value. Hoarding behaviors can occur in a variety of psychiatric disorders and in the normal population, but are most commonly found in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Those people who report compulsive hoarding as their primary type of OCD, who experience significant distress or functional impairment from their hoarding, and who also have symptoms of indecisiveness, procrastination, and avoidance, are classified as having compulsive hoarding syndrome (www.ocfoundation.com). An estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States are thought to have compulsive hoarding syndrome.

In today’ society, one’s standard of success is grounded off one’s material possessions. The consumer state of mind is, “we want more, we need more’. The constant push of getting the newest, fastest, shiniest item, along with the mentality of bigger is better, is consistently being pushed as well as feed to every person on a daily basis. These items start to appear as needs in one’s life, when in reality it is a want, which the joy and satisfaction quickly dissipate and the need for more develops. “The process of moving ahead materially without any real gain in satisfaction is often called ‘the treadmill of consumption’” (Roberts 124). According to Robert, society is trapped on this consumer treadmill, but individuals can make the choice to get off the consumer treadmill through retraining ones thought process, gaining appreciation of the simple possessions along with educating the youth about financial responsibility. Behaviors and habits are taught and observed from our earliest years of life, thus shaping one’s perspective, thoughts, and experiences, which means one has the ability to change one’s views and perceptions, thus getting off the consumer treadmill.

In today’ society, one’s standard of success is based off one’s material possessions. The consumer state of mind is, “we want more, we need more’. The constant push of getting the newest, fastest, shiniest, along with the biggest item is consistently being feed to every person on a daily basis. These items start to appear as needs in one’s life, when in reality it is a want, which the joy and satisfaction quickly dissipate and the need for more develops. “The process of moving ahead materially without any real gain in satisfaction is often called “the treadmill of consumption” (Roberts 124). Robert believes that society is trapped on this treadmill, and there is no getting off. From birth, we are taught and shown behaviors and one’s life experiences shape a person’s behavior. Individuals are taught behaviors, one can change their views and perceptions, thus getting off the consumer treadmill.