Subjects from the hoarding group indicated having lesser intentions to throw away magazines than nonhoarders. In the second part of our study, we found that hoarders reported more reasons to save than nonhoarders supporting the hypothesis that hoarders have a different set of beliefs about the nature of possessions which may lead them to overestimate the value of the possession. The estimated value of an object which differed for hoarders and nonhoarders may play an important role in deciding to save or to discard a possession. The higher the estimated value of an object, the less likely a person was to indicate having the intent to throw it away. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find a significant difference in reasons to discard for hoarders and nonhoarders.
Hoarders seem to attend to reasons to discard as much as nonhoarders.
That is, boarders may have more access to reasons to save than to discard. While these findings may seem simplistic, it is important to fully understand the cognitive processes going on at the time decisions to save or discard are being made. Understanding exactly how the beliefs of hoarders differ from nonhoarders is vital to the development of effective treatment. A cognitive-behavioral model of compulsive hoarding. Behavior Research and Therapy.