Background
Compulsive hoarding is a disorder that is characterized by the persistent difficulty in discarding possessions even when there is no value or reason of clinging into such items. From the article, “Meaningless Carrying-On”: A Psychoanalytically-Oriented Qualitative Study of Compulsive Hoarding,” it is apparent that the topic on compulsive hoarding is beginning to attract attention in the society. There is limited information on compulsive hoarding, through Sigmund Freud alluded to it when explaining about the ‘anal character.’ Fromm found that children who exhibited the ‘anal character’ were also likely to manifest the ‘hoarding character.’ Therefore, both Freud and Fromm were on the view that the hoarding behavior may be caused by certain unconscious drives and motives that can be traced back to the childhood development. In the recent past, Brien, Connor, & Russell-Carroll (2016), indicated that there has been an increase in the number of TV documentaries touching on the issue of compulsory hoarding. It is the high demand for such documentaries that prompted the current research. The goal was to determine the main cause of hoarding behavior and how it affects the victims, and their immediate environment.
Hypothesis
The article does not explicitly state the hypothesis of the study. However, from the methodology, it seems that the researchers suggest a relationship between compulsive hoarding and past traumatic events or unresolved conflicts. The conclusion is drawn from the account of one of the participants (Pauline) who indicated that her hoarding behavior began manifesting itself after the death of her loved one. Also, the psychoanalytical approach to the problem demonstrates that the author thinks a relationship exists between the compulsory hoarding and psychological experiences.
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Methods
The researchers employed the qualitative research design to conduct their study. The rationale for the use of the qualitative research design was to have a deeper analysis of the human behavior, especially the motives, drives, and the feelings. Most of such variables are subjective in nature, therefore, difficult to quantify. The qualitative research design was imperative in ensuring that the researchers were able to obtain all the relevant information from the participants.
Subjects
The research used five subjects. They were recruited for six weeks before taking part in the study. One of the inclusion criteria was that all the participants must have had a past history or were experiencing the compulsive hoarding disorder. The Health Service Executive approved the study and the recruitment of the participants.
Method of Selection
To obtain the cross-sectional sample of the participants, researchers used the stratified sampling technique. The goal was to ensure that all the participants met the inclusion criteria. For instance, all the participants were from the local primary care health centers. The participants had to be above the age of 18, be able to participate in the study for more than an hour, and had a history of compulsory hoarding.
Procedure
The interviewing technique was used to obtain information on the subject of hoarding from the clients. The researchers used the psychoanalytical theoretical approach to construct the interviewing questions and to create a favorable environment. All responses were recorded and later transcribed. The favorable environment fostered the free association, which played an imperative role in allowing the participants to open-up. The researchers also used unstructured questions, but ensured that they were relevant to the topic on hoarding.
Variables
The researchers were interested in measuring the conscious and the unconscious variables that included the motivations, drives, attitudes, and beliefs associated with hoarding. These variables were sometimes difficult to measure since participants could not explicitly state them. However, through the body language and other nonverbal communication methods, the researchers were able to obtain vital data.
How variables were measured
The variables were inferred from self-reported responses and the information obtained through the nonverbal communication. The researchers also used the principles of psychoanalytical approach in enhancing the measuring of the variables.
Results
The results confirmed the hypothesis. The researchers observed that the unconscious factors were the driving force behind the compulsive hoarding. One of the participants, Pauline, indicated that the hoarding behavior began after she suffered from a traumatic experiencing. She lost a parent, which was very painful. The hoarding was meant to keep her possession close to her. Several participants had such tendencies. One of the main motives for hoarding was to ensure that one did not lose that which they loved and treasured. Most of the participants indicated that they had some sentimental value for the possession they were not ready to discard. However, it was apparent that almost all the participants suffered from anxiety and other related mental health ailments. This was attributed to the fact that the participants did not know why they continued to hoard possessions, especially those that did not have any value to them. They were also anxious because they did not know how to avoid the hoarding behavior. Additionally, most of them considered the hoarding behavior to be ‘abnormal.’ The research also established that it took time for the participants to talk about their personal issues. Resistance was a common phenomenon throughout the research. That may explain why the researchers relied on the nonverbal communication, including the eye contact, posture, and communication. The researchers were able to compare the verbal and nonverbal communication for the purpose of establishing the consistency. From results, there is an assumption that addressing the unconscious drives, which may assist in the management and the reduction of the tendencies to engage in the hoarding behavior.
Conclusion
The study concluded that the information obtained would be used in the clinical setting to prevent to manage the incidences of compulsive hoarding. The study applied a scientific approach, which ensured that credible information was obtained. As mentioned before, the study made a conclusion that there is a relationship between the past experiences and onset of hoarding. Therefore, if the traumatic experiences, such as the loss of a parent or child are managed in advance, one may be able to prevent compulsive hoarding occurring. The study indicated that there is also a relationship between hoarding and anxiety. The victims become anxious because they cannot stop hoarding, yet most of them know that it is not ‘normal.’ The study was able to approve the hypothesis.
Constructive Article Critique
The article follows all the principles of a scientific research. From the methodology section, the researchers indicated how the sample was obtained, who the population was, data collection method, hypothesis, and how the data was analyzed. At the introduction, the researchers indicated the main motivation behind the study. The study was justified owing to the fact that compulsive hoarding has become an area of interest. There is also limited information about the issue and its main causes. Therefore, the study was imperative in providing information, especially for the policymakers in the mental health institutions.
In future studies, though, it will be imperative for the researchers to explain the gaps that were not addressed in this particular article. For instance, while the article concluded that past experiences caused compulsive hoarding, there are people who are unaffected, despite the environment. The article did not state why some people appear hardy or resilient than others. Why it is that some people will not be affected despite the losses incurred? Is there any relationship between hoarding and personality? Can hoarding be attributed to genetics? I think the article is excellent, but there are more questions than need to be answered. Before one can concluded that the past experiences are the main causes, it is necessary to test other factors. Additionally, the article does not give the differences between gender, race, ethnicity, religion and hoarding. How will such factors affect compulsive hoarding. There is still a lot that need to be done before conclusively saying what exactly causes hoarding.
References
Brien, C., O’Connor, J., & Russell-Carroll, D. (2016, August 25). “Meaningless Carrying-On”: A Psychoanalytically-Oriented Qualitative Study of Compulsive Hoarding. Psychoanalytic Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pap0000100
