Why do collectors
collect things, from vintage cars to dolls to badges to car number plates?
Collectibles have always been attractions for many people across ages, genders,
backgrounds, and countries. Is there a psychological reason behind collecting
collectibles? Psychologists say yes.
Psychologists say that
different people, of course, have different reasons for collecting items, but
that all have reinforcers that connect with their ‘pleasure centre’ – the
nucleus accumbens – which sparks their desire for collectibles. The reinforcers
themselves are therefore many and varied.
The commonality of ‘the
collection’ is that they form a group of the same or similar items, or have
some connecting link between them.
One contributing
factor is pride in acquiring the items – often searching the world to find
exactly the objects that will add to the collection. Finding a rare or unusual
piece, or finding an item from another country, fills people with the pride of
persistence, and with excitement. It also fills them with pride when other
people admire their collection or recognize the importance, value or emotion
tied to each item in the group.
Another factor is the
bargain – getting something for the collection at a bargain price. Collectibles
don’t have to be expensive, and many are found in second-hand shops, or stalls,
or in unusual places. Many natural collections are found on walks in the
forest, or along the seaside.
For others it is the
goal to find the most desirable piece, or even the most expensive piece, rather
than a bargain. Examples include purchasing the item, usually at auctions, at
‘all cost’ no matter the cost. It is the very fact that they have the one and
only item is a matter of great importance – because they know that the item is
going to a ‘good home’ and to a person who appreciates its value (whether it is
a Rembrandt artwork or a baseball card).
For some it is a sense
of history, and filling the historical gaps in the timeline of the collectible
items. Seeing the similar items change and develop over time gives people a
sense of their own time and space. And it’s quite fascinating to place items
into historical periods. Some collectors only collect items from a specific
period, such as the 1960s, and then place them chronologically within that
decade. For others it is a sense of nostalgia and remembrance of their
childhood, or another period in time, that is the motivating factor.
Another motivating
factor is not looking to the past, but collecting ‘past’ items to carry into
the future – to pass onto the next generation, within their family, or to
another collector.
For many, collecting
is an intellectual experience. Items require a great deal of knowledge and
expertise to catalogue and record. This intellectual stimulation occurs over a
period of time as the collectors learn more and more about an item or period or
designer. Passing on, or transferring, the knowledge to others through
publishing, museums, galleries, films, documentaries, photograph albums, and so
on, also adds to a body of knowledge for others to share.
Another motivating
factor is being part of a group collecting the same or similar things – and
going to conventions together. The socializing and networking is part or wholly
the reason for collecting. Friendships are forged when they are part of a
group, or recognition is established when they see familiar faces at auctions
or conventions.
Some people just love
to arrange and rearrange, and categorize and recategorize, and record and
organize everything in a collection. This takes attention to detail and
organizational skills that can capture people’s time and imagination for ages,
while it absorbs and immerses them in a complex task.
Often the motivating
factors are combined and intertwined, such that there are many reasons behind a
collector’s passion. Psychologists say it is also the anticipation of adding to
the collection that is another reinforcer, or motivating factor. Sometimes just
the seeking, without the finding, is part of the enjoyable journey.
MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:-
The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends
(2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan
Curse (2009).
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