Publication (142 pages).

OBJECT
ATTACHMENT
Ideologies involving signs, identity, and emotional
attachment have all affected the ability to discard
goods at a frequent rate. Many purchasing practices
involve the consumption of signs, wherein it is not
the actual use of the item that prompts the purchase
but the sign endowed in the object that is sought.
The purpose of the good is no longer its material function
but a function more unique to cultural trends in society or
to the individual that acquired it.
Thus, the item no longer has its original material life; although
it is non-functioning materially it may still be functioning as
a sign for the individual, decreasing the potential for future
disposal. This is especially true of items that are associated with
identity building, clique membership or status symbols. Even
if a constructed identity has been reconstructed and the items
that aided in the display of that identity are no longer required,
a person may still keep the items for emotional reasons because
it would feel as if they were discarding their previous identity.
The versatility of an object into a sign creates complications
for a strict discard cycle. Similar to the problematic nature of
sign or identity embodiment in a material good is the possibility
of an emotional relationship contained in a good. As mentioned,
Arlie Hochschild advocates the concept of ‘materialized
love’ to explain the complicated relationship between people
and gift giving (2003). With the increase of material goods-
Object attachment
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