50 People Share Their Extraordinary Collections Of Items Many Would Not Think Of Collecting (New Pics)

On the other hand, Dillon says there are innumerable accounts and case studies of individual collectors that explain these people’s actions by appealing to their emotional experiences, insatiable appetites for security, and even erotic ties to material objects, typically rooted in their unsettling earliest life experiences.

"A more contemporary view of people’s relationships to material objects comes from social and cultural studies of consumption by the general public," he explains. "Looking beyond the business analysis of what we buy, some researchers have asked why we buy and how do we treat or use the objects we accumulate over time? In studying these phenomena, people are often conceived as continual consumers on a scale, with collectors at one end and disposers at the other."

"In this paradigm, an individual’s choice of goods is conceived as a reflection of their identity or their desire to be seen by others as part of a group, with their consumption and retention patterns representing a form of expression that signals particular lifestyle values and choices."

Clearly, there is a strong relationship between human psychology and the desire to collect, one that mediates personal identity, a sense of place in the world, and a desire to form networks and build community.

To explore these ties further, fire up our older publications 50 People Share Their Unique Collections and 50 Of The Most Interesting And Unusual Collections People Have.