When watching a show on hoarders, many of the things said by not only the subjects, but their families and psychologists had me thinking that's there are a lot of similarities between how hoarders and religious believers see the world. Let me see if I can explain.
First, I am starting with a view of belief that is something I use and is likely not used by many others. This view is that a belief is intertwined into a person's self-identity so deeply that to alter it is very similar to committing suicide. A person's identity of their self is not only physical; it also includes the way we see the world--our place in it, how it works, the rules we accept as valid to explain what we experience, etc. Just like when our physical bodies are assaulted, we automatically react self-protectively when our beliefs/views are attacked, too. If we were to change those beliefs on our own, the assault would be a self-inflicted one and, therefore, suicidal.
Now, back to the hoarders. One of the psychologists actually used the word "assaulted" when describing how a subject felt when his sisters were cleaning out his apartment for him. He argued to keep his stuff, even the garbage, and brought stuff back into the house that had been removed. He was looking for any reason he could think of to not change. His stress levels went up and he couldn't even stick around for the entire time. This, to me, is the same reaction you would likely see in someone who's beliefs are being "cleaned out" and "assaulted" by an outsider who doesn't agree with their view of the world. The self-identity of the person was so infected with the view that all of his stuff was useful and special (similar to divine, in my book), that he didn't see the clutter as anything other than worthy of the effort exerted in collecting it.
After the cleaning was done, he was described as "subdued" and was "not used to all this order" in his apartment. Being subdued I can relate to many stories I've heard from people who de-converted from a religious belief when it was first accepted. There's no celebration, no sense of euphoric relief, just a subdued attitude that they now have to accept reality. Not being used to "order" screams out to be used as a metaphor for when science replaces religion in a person's life. The order isn't perfect, but is certainly more in-line with reality and certainly would illicit a similar response.
In another case of a woman who hoarded pigs--hundreds of them--she couldn't see that her initial intentions to help a few pigs had morphed into something completely different. The pigs took over the house, which was condemned, and eventually were all taken away and euthanized because they were diseased and in general poor health. The woman said the pigs were "her life" and wanted to start over because she had a "special relationship" with the pigs. Again, the similarity to religious beliefs stands out for me. How often to believers say their god is "their life" and have a "special relationship" with it. They even take care of their god(s) with offerings, sacrifices, rituals, etc. to keep the god(s) happy, many times to the point of not taking care of their selves, their property or family.
Another woman explained that all the stuff was "a part of me" and couldn't see the clutter as clutter. Most things appeared to be unopened and never would be. But, when she was shown a picture of her stuff taken by her daughter, she could recognize the piles of stuff as clutter and not treasure. She described herself as "two people," one who could see the truth in the picture and one who couldn't when looking at the actual stuff. It was suggested that it would take hundreds of "sessions" of help from a therapist to get her to accept the reality of her situation. Her sense of her self is so strongly connected to the clutter that for her to see her self separated from it--it is "a part of me"--that to remove it would be like killing a huge part of her self.
It seems to me that a lot of mental conditions could be seen and treated with the idea in mind that they are being asked to commit suicide. I don't know if there is a psychological method that has been developed that can be used to ask people to commit selective suicide or not. But, if so, it's probably worth trying in a wide set of circumstances. If not, one should be developed.
First, I am starting with a view of belief that is something I use and is likely not used by many others. This view is that a belief is intertwined into a person's self-identity so deeply that to alter it is very similar to committing suicide. A person's identity of their self is not only physical; it also includes the way we see the world--our place in it, how it works, the rules we accept as valid to explain what we experience, etc. Just like when our physical bodies are assaulted, we automatically react self-protectively when our beliefs/views are attacked, too. If we were to change those beliefs on our own, the assault would be a self-inflicted one and, therefore, suicidal.
Now, back to the hoarders. One of the psychologists actually used the word "assaulted" when describing how a subject felt when his sisters were cleaning out his apartment for him. He argued to keep his stuff, even the garbage, and brought stuff back into the house that had been removed. He was looking for any reason he could think of to not change. His stress levels went up and he couldn't even stick around for the entire time. This, to me, is the same reaction you would likely see in someone who's beliefs are being "cleaned out" and "assaulted" by an outsider who doesn't agree with their view of the world. The self-identity of the person was so infected with the view that all of his stuff was useful and special (similar to divine, in my book), that he didn't see the clutter as anything other than worthy of the effort exerted in collecting it.
After the cleaning was done, he was described as "subdued" and was "not used to all this order" in his apartment. Being subdued I can relate to many stories I've heard from people who de-converted from a religious belief when it was first accepted. There's no celebration, no sense of euphoric relief, just a subdued attitude that they now have to accept reality. Not being used to "order" screams out to be used as a metaphor for when science replaces religion in a person's life. The order isn't perfect, but is certainly more in-line with reality and certainly would illicit a similar response.
In another case of a woman who hoarded pigs--hundreds of them--she couldn't see that her initial intentions to help a few pigs had morphed into something completely different. The pigs took over the house, which was condemned, and eventually were all taken away and euthanized because they were diseased and in general poor health. The woman said the pigs were "her life" and wanted to start over because she had a "special relationship" with the pigs. Again, the similarity to religious beliefs stands out for me. How often to believers say their god is "their life" and have a "special relationship" with it. They even take care of their god(s) with offerings, sacrifices, rituals, etc. to keep the god(s) happy, many times to the point of not taking care of their selves, their property or family.
Another woman explained that all the stuff was "a part of me" and couldn't see the clutter as clutter. Most things appeared to be unopened and never would be. But, when she was shown a picture of her stuff taken by her daughter, she could recognize the piles of stuff as clutter and not treasure. She described herself as "two people," one who could see the truth in the picture and one who couldn't when looking at the actual stuff. It was suggested that it would take hundreds of "sessions" of help from a therapist to get her to accept the reality of her situation. Her sense of her self is so strongly connected to the clutter that for her to see her self separated from it--it is "a part of me"--that to remove it would be like killing a huge part of her self.
It seems to me that a lot of mental conditions could be seen and treated with the idea in mind that they are being asked to commit suicide. I don't know if there is a psychological method that has been developed that can be used to ask people to commit selective suicide or not. But, if so, it's probably worth trying in a wide set of circumstances. If not, one should be developed.
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