CLUTTERED LIVES: A SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON HOARDING IN NEW YORK CITY

Abstract

This study explores the social ecology of hoarding disorder in New York City (NYC) and Yonkers. Most of the existing literature on hoarding behavior is in the realm of psychology while related sociological literature is scarce. My findings draw on 16 in-depth interviews with people with hoarding behavior and private and public service workers. By using a socio-ecological approach, I show how hoarding behavior is shaped by macro-cultural, individual, relational, and organizational factors. Participants’ hoarding behaviors were deeply influenced by their social environments characterized by excess and inequality. Research focusing on factors exogenous to an individual with hoarding disorder is an essential part of learning more about this phenomenon and how we can go about prevention and treatment.