by Renae M. Bailey

Created on: January 05, 2011

Imagine this: Your father loves old, dusty printing presses and antique jewelry. He takes you and your mother across the state in search of these items which fascinates him so much. He finds a means to purchase these items and take them home with him. Or imagine this one: Your mother adores fine china. She buys pretty china sets from flea markets and from eBay on a regular basis. There is a glass cabinet devoted to this fine china. Or think about the items you have the most. You may be a collector yourself.

We are naturally collectors. Most living things are. Squirrels collect acorns to save for future suppers, and birds collect various items to build nests. Humans, on the other hand, may collect for a purpose that has nothing to do with survival. We may be collectors because of our creative urge and an obsessive impulse. Other people may collect items to later sell them and earn money.

While there may not be one, perfect reason as to why we like to collect things, we can explore a few of the reasons that we do: creative urge, safety with the familiar, obsessive impulse, and avariciousness.

Creative Urge

Even if you never pick up a paint brush and paint a Mona Lisa or find some stone and sculpt a David, you have a creative urge. You like certain colors and dislike others. You prefer certain shapes over other shapes. You make creative decisions every day and several times a day. You are likely to find something that you like and want to keep. You like it so much that you want to have more of it. This is your creative urge latching onto something familiar.

Safety With The Familiar

Another reason that we may collect things is are need to be connected to something familiar. One person may have a fond memory of teddy bears and will therefore begin to collect teddy bears. Another may remember seeing a carousel and collect carousel items. Our collections may have a connection that makes us feel safe wherever we are.

Obsessive Impulse

If you are not obsessed about something, you are indeed a rare person. If nothing else, you are obsessed with keeping yourself alive. Spending hours searching for more of whatever one collects is an indication of an intense passion for that collection. We struggle with our feelings of need to have that particular item and find ways to get what we want. We may need to have the complete set in perfect order before we feel better. An obsession is "a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling" (Miriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsession) . If it does not relate to survival, it certainly falls in an "unreasonable" category.

Avariciousness

We may collect things for the purpose of selling the item later on. Our economy is money-based. No money moving means no growing economy. In fact, if the money stops moving altogether, the economy is likely to dry up. For survival and a desire to keep our personal economies moving, we may collect items that are perceived as valuable by a certain group and hope that the group will purchase and increase our private economy.

Certainly, attempting to understand why we want to collect things is an interesting mystery, one that will likely only be solved by various studies. However, this is merely an attempted guess as to why we enjoy collecting as we do. The only conclusive evidence is the result: Human beings like to collect.

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