Obsessive compulsive behaviour, AKA OCD is a condition whereby unreasonable thoughts, by average standards and fears, lead to repetitive, compulsive actions. The drivers are often fear for germs, or a need to arrange objects in a specific pattern. However, in this instance we describe the related condition, memory hoarding.
Sheppard-Pratt describes the condition ‘as a mental ritual … in which the person over-attends to memories’ in the belief these recollections have future value. Or, to put the core thought slightly differently:
- Memory hoarders have an obsession to retain memories of their past.
- They believe they will need the information again during a future event.
- And so they review the details over-and-over-again in their minds.
- Plus they have a compelling mental urge to store the finest minutiae.
- They have a mistaken belief losing memories will have devastating effects.
Common Triggers for Memory Hoarding
NOCD suggests several triggers that may encourage people to hoard memories. These triggers are:
- They want to treasure a particular memory, or moment in time.
- So they will have the details handy when they want to recall it later.
- It could be that they want to avoid something unpleasant in future.
- They believe remembering their feelings will help them avoid harm.
- They want to avoid future anxieties and doubts over what happened.
A Practical Example of Over-Remembering Things
Perhaps a practical example would make things clearer. Imagine, for a moment we attended a special wedding where we stayed at a mountain resort. We have packed our bags, but are waiting for our lift to arrive. And so we glance around the room wanting to remember the occasion.
Most of us would stop at that point, happy and satisfied. However, if we had compulsive obsessive disorder, we might be worried we could be unable to recall the precise details in future. And so we begin to notice everything again, but this time in considerably more detail.
We forget for a moment we have a trip to catch, in our obsessive desire to remember everything perfectly. This act becomes even more important than the significance of the wedding event itself. We worry we might forget the tiniest details, and could be unable to describe the wedding later to friends when we get back home. Or if you like, we hoard the tiniest details in our memory in case they have future value.
Practical Examples of Obsessive Memory Hoarding
Obsessive note-taking is another example of compulsive recording. We all need notes as memory joggers and to-do lists. Keeping a diary would be one way of not forgetting to do things.
However, this behaviour becomes atypical when we keep notes about every conversation, experience, or event we attend. There’s a cross-over here to compulsive hoarding of digital and print photos. It is as if we are afraid we might forget a precious memory of a meeting, or recall it incorrectly if we met the person later a second time.
The source we cited a moment ago suffers from memory hoarding themselves. Here’s a personal witness to the anguish and pain it can cause:
“The amount of time and mental suffering this can cause should not be understated; far from a pleasant or enjoyable pastime, digital hoarding can make people dread the idea of forgetting the slightest detail, leading to severe impacts on one’s daily life, relationships, career, or education.”
Why Do Some of Us Develop This Compulsion?
It follows that the typical feeling we might otherwise forget could relate to having low-self confidence in ourselves generally, and who else do we have to blame for that? After all, human memory is imperfect, and who else to we finger if we recall a past event incompletely. It’s not difficult to imagine uncertainty about our memory triggering a resolve to buttress it, by keeping mental and physical notes.
We Close By Summarising Triggers for the Condition
People who develop obsessive memory hoarding are quite often aware of their state, and the mental process leading to it. Some typically self-report:
- Fear of not fully appreciating important moments in their lives.
- A need to accurately remember what really happened.
- A strong desire to avoid a repetition of an unfavourable event.
- Wanting to be able to review their actual feelings later.
- Needing the facts so doubts and anxieties can’t arise.
Experts in the field generally agree that memory hoarders are unlikely to change their habits on the basis of using logic alone. They suggest using a wise, even qualified person to assist, and act as their sounding board.
An obsession with minute-taking at meetings shows how entrenched this way of dealing with future uncertainty has become. For this reason alone, this offshoot of hoarding is likely to be with us for a long time.
