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

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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