Publication (142 pages).

CONSUMER THEORY
While investigating hoarding behaviour, I found that further interpretation required
a consideration of consumer culture. Hoarding falls into the category
of consumption; both medical and moral perspectives provide consideration
for subjective aspects of hoarding, but the objective conditions of hoarding are
behaviours of consumption. Thus, in my research I sought a theoretical framework
that would inform the behaviours of hoarding rather than the individual
and social reactions to it. Consumer theory provides insight into the historical
development of consumer tendencies that help to explain how behaviours of
accumulation and the inability to discard are developed and practiced in current
society. This chapter will provide a brief presentation of some of the key ideas
that consumer theory advocates. Consumer theory is attuned to the historical
progression of consumption, noting the changing nature of social forms under
industrialization. It highlights the way in which interactions with objects have
come to define our society as well as our selves. The following chapter will highlight
differing perspectives on consumption, the cycle of needs and wants, the
fetishistic traits of commodities.
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