Self-Ambivalence and Attachment to Possessions

Abstract

Doron and Kyrios (2005) have suggested that self-related constructs may be vulnerability factors for the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and associated cognitions, possibly including compulsive buying, hoarding, and materialism. The present study examined the relationship between self-related constructs (self-ambivalence and attachment uncertainty), compulsive acquisition, hoarding, and materialism. As predicted, self-ambivalence and uncertainty were correlated with materialism, compulsive hoarding, and compulsive buying, while compulsive acquisition of free things was correlated with uncertainty. Furthermore, self-ambivalence accounted for significant variance in all three possession-related variables even after controlling for depression and indecisiveness. Uncertainty accounted for significant variance in the compulsive acquisition of free things. Materialism exhibited high to moderate correlations with compulsive buying but low to moderate correlations with compulsive hoarding and no association with free acquisition. Lack of family warmth failed to correlate with acquisition variables but did correlate with depression. Overall, the findings supported the contribution of self-ambivalence and attachment patterns but not early family environment to the understanding of compulsive acquisition, particularly hoarding and buying problems.

Motives for acquiring and saving in hoarding disorder, OCD, and community controls

“…People with HD may experience excessive guilt about wasting items when they can imagine a potential use for them. Saving objects may be a way to preserve self-esteem, akin to the notion that objects represent personal identity (Furby, 1978; Frost, Kyrios, McCarthy, & Mathews, 2007; Frost & Steketee, 2010; Steketee et al, 2003). More detailed study of waste avoidance and its association with guilt and beliefs about responsibility may help to elucidate the role these factors play in hoarding.…”

“…Emotional motives took a back seat to avoiding waste, which appeared to be primary driver of HD symptoms. This finding calls for more investigation of the role of emotions and emotionality as a factor in the development of what has been described as unusually strong “attachment” to objects (e.g., Frost & Hartl, 1996; Kellett, 2007; Frost, Kyrios et al, 2007), but this may in fact be driven by other factors.…”

The relationship between materialism and personal well-being: A meta-analysis.

“…Positive self-appraisals that have been associated with materialism include constructs such as self-esteem (Ryan et al, 1999), positive self-concept (Lekes, Gingras, Phillippe, Koestner, & Fang, 2010), and self-actualization (Kasser & Ryan, 1993), which generally involve liking and accepting oneself. Table 2 Categorization of Well-Being Measures Negative self-appraisals include constructs such as self-doubt (Chang & Arkin, 2002), self-ambivalence (R. O. Frost, Kyrios, McCarthy, & Matthews, 2007), and self-discrepancies (Dittmar, 2005b), which generally reflect dissatisfaction with oneself or a belief that one is failing to live up to important self-standards.…”

“…Many materialism studies include assessments of depression and anxiety, two of the most common types of emotional problems (e.g., Burroughs & Rindfleisch, 2002;Kasser & Ryan, 1993;Sheldon, 2009;Ryan et al, 1999). A further disorder of interest to materialism researchers has been compulsive buying, which entails a dysfunctional relationship to consumer goods characterized by loss of control over buying behavior, preoccupation with thoughts about buying, and the continuation of excessive buying and spending despite harmful consequences (Dittmar, 2004(Dittmar, , 2005a(Dittmar, , 2005bR. O.…”

Excessive acquisition in hoarding

“…Although strongly correlated with compulsive buying (Frost et al, 2002), excessive acquisition of free things appears associated with other constructs. For instance, while compulsive buying correlated with measures of materialism, the excessive acquisition of free things did not (Frost, Kyrios, McCarthy, & Mathews, 2007). A final purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the excessive acquisition of free things (versus compulsive buying) with symptoms of psychopathology (e.g., depression, obsessive compulsive disorder), as well as hoarding-related measures.…”