by I recently helped my mother through boxes that she inherited when my grandparents died. One box was labeled – ironic or real – “toothpick holders and other treasures.”
Inside were many Dewerkens of moments that have now been lost through history – although we did not find toothpick holders.
My favorite of the items we went through was a lonely puzzle piece, an artifact that reflects the preference of my deceased grandmother for hiding the last piece for a puzzle of a puzzle to dive into and finish it at the last minute to make.
After a few hours of memories, my mother and I threw 90% away from what we had sorted.
“Why did I save this?” Is a question that I often hear, both from my family and friends and patients.
I am a recognized clinical psychologist whose research focuses on the characterization, assessment and treatment of hoarding, in particular for adults aged 60 or older. As such I spend a lot of time thinking about this question.
What drives the need to keep things?
Hamming is a psychiatric disorder that is defined by drifting to save items and have difficulty throwing the current possessions away. For adults with “clinically serious” hoarding, this leads to a level of household clutter that hinders daily functioning and can even cause a fire hazard.
In my professional experience, however, many adults struggle with junk, even if they do not meet the clinical criteria for hoarding.
Holding things that have sentimental value or can be useful in the future is a natural part of aging. For some people, this tendency to stick to objects over time is growing to the point that they ultimately meet criteria for hamstering disorders.
Age -related changes in the executive function can help explain the increase in the prevalence of ham disorders as we get older; Increasing difficulty in decision -making in general also has an influence on decisions regarding household clutter.
The traditional model behind hammering disorder suggests that problems with throwing an emergency come from during decision -making. However, my research shows that this may apply less to older adults.
When I was a graduate student, I conducted a study in which we asked adults with ham disorders to spend 15 minutes taking decisions about taking or throwing away or throwing away various items that were brought out of their house. Participants could sort all the items they wanted. Most chose to sort paper items, such as old e -mail, cards or notes.
We thought that age was associated with lower levels of need during the task, so that participants who were older tended to be less stressed when taking the decision about what to keep and throw away something. We also found that many participants, especially those who were older, actually reported positive emotions while sorting their items.
In new research publication, my current team replicated this finding with the help of a home -based version of the task. This suggests that fear of making the wrong decision is not a universal engine of our urge to save items.
In fact, a study that my team published in August 2024 with adults older than 50 with ham disorder, suggests that altruism, a personality characteristic of wanting to help others, can explain why some people keep items that might throw away.
My colleagues and I compared the personality profiles of our participants with those of adults in the general population of the same gender and age group. In comparison with the general population, the participants with ham disorders scored almost universally high on altruism.
Altruism also often comes up in my clinical work with older adults who struggle with junk. People in our studies often tell me that they have held something out of a sense of responsibility, either for the item itself or to the environment.
“I need to go to a good house” and “my grandmother gave this to me” are feelings that we usually hear.
That is why people cannot keep things out of fear of losing them, but because saving them is consistent with their values.
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Leaning to values
In a 2024 study, my team has shown that following a values -based approach to cleaning help helps older adults help to reduce household mess and increase their positive affect, a state of mind characterized by feelings such as joy and satisfaction.
Doctors visited the houses of older adults with hamster disorder for one hour a week for six weeks. During every visit, the clinicians used a technique called motivational interviewing to help participants go through their decisions while sorting the mess of households.
We have found that starting with identifying their values enabled them to maintain the focus on their long -term goals. Too often people concentrate on the immediate capacity of an object to “spark joy” and to forget to consider whether an object has a greater meaning and purpose.
Values are the abstract beliefs that we humans use to create our goals. Values are everything that drives us and can include family, faith or frivolity.
Because values are subjective, what people identify is also subjective. For example, the dress that I wore for my sister’s wedding reminded me of a wonderful day.
However, when it no longer fits, I gave it away because this was more consistent with my values of usefulness and helpfulness: I wanted the dress to go to someone who needed it and would use it. Someone who has given a stronger appreciated family and beauty to keep the dress because of the aesthetics and the link to a family event.
Moreover, we have found that instead of the reasons for the reasons of a person to retain an item, it is useful to concentrate instead of generating their reasons to throw it away and the Goals they have for their home and their lives.
Tips to wipe the old one
My research into the use of motivating interviews for cleaning up and my observations from a current clinical study at the approach point for some practical steps that people can take to set up their home. Although my work has been with older adults in the first place, these tips must be useful for people of all ages.
Start by writing your values.
Every object in your home must feel value-consistant for you. For example, if tradition and faith are important values for you, you may be more inclined to hold a cookbook made by the elderly in your church and more able to let go of a cookbook that you in a bookstore picked up.
If your core values are your core values instead, it might be more important to hold a cookbook with new ways to make more vegetables sneak in your diet.
Defining value -consistent goals for using your space can help maintain motivation while cleaning up.
Did you know your desk so that you can work more efficiently? Make space on kitchen counters to bake cookies with your grandchildren?
Remember that your values will sometimes be in conflict. At those moments it can help to think about keeping or throwing away an object closer to your goals for space.
Remember in the same way that values are subjective. If you help to exchange a loved one, maintain a curious, non -judicial attitude. Where you may see a box filled with junk, your grandmother may see something filled with “toothpick holders and other treasures.”
Go to the website of International OCD Foundation for additional sources and information about ham disorders.
Mary E. Dozier, Assistant Professor Psychology, Mississippi State University
This article is re -published from the conversation under a license for Creative Commons. Read the original article.
