COLLECTING AS LUXURY CONSUMPTION - EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS

Collecting is a common acquisitive and possessive behavior that is generally regarded by society as more valued and less selfish than other forms of luxury consumption. Based on depth interviews with 200 collectors, an assessment of collecting is offered considering its problems and benefits for the individual collector, the collector's household, and society. While extreme cases are found in which collecting is addictive and dysfunctional for the individual and his or her family, it is more commonly found to be a beneficial activity, at least for the collector. But interpersonally, collections are found to be perceived as non-human rivals for the affection of collectors in the household and to leave a cultural legacy of material artifacts that over-represent powerful social classes.