Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Sociology
Date of Award
8-2013
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Joseph O. Baker
Committee Members
Martha Copp, Melissa Schrift
Abstract
The interest in hoarding has peaked since its first clinical definition in 1996 and is evident by six television shows centered on the topic. This thesis reports the results a content analysis of two seasons (21 episodes) of the popular T.V. series A&E’s Hoarders. People rationalize hoarding in ways that both differ and overlap. Doctors, professional organizers, hoarders and their loved ones collectively frame hoarding as a medical and mental health problem. The results suggest that Americans’ perceptions of hoarding behavior has shifted from one that is deviant behavior to one that is medicalized.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Redwine, Samantha J., "A Content Analysis of A&E's Hoarders" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1208. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1208
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons