Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

Amassing stuff is normal in our materialistic culture, but for millions it reaches unhealthy levels, according to the authors of this eye-opening study of the causes of hoarding, its meaning for the hoarder, and its impact on their families. Frost, a professor of psychology at Smith College, and Steketee, dean of the social work school at Brown, gather much anecdotal material from conversations with extreme hoarders and find that for such people, “intense emotional meaning is attached to so many of their possessions… even trash.” For some, this meaning inheres in animals: one interviewee has 200 cats. The effects of hoarding on the hoarder’s spouse, parents, and children can be severe, the authors find. Frost and Steketee write with real sympathy and appreciation for hoarders, and their research indicates “an absence of warmth, acceptance, and support” during many hoarders’ early years. They even speculate that a hoarder’s “attention to the details of objects” may indicate “a special form of creativity and appreciation for the aesthetics of everyday things.” This succinct, illuminating book will prove helpful to hoarders, their families, and mental health professionals who work with them. (Apr. 20)