Emotional attachment to material things

[alcea rosea]

Let's say a person who has both Fi and Si in the first four functions of their MBTI type would be very emotionally attached to material things.

By emotional attachment to things I mean
a) material things bring back memories and emotions of past events and people that are important
b) it's hard to throw away any material things that has some emotions attached to them.

Fi & Si because
- Si helps to remember past details and
- Fi attaches emotions to those feelings.

So I say that at least ENFP's (NeFiTeSi) would be like that but for example ESFP's (SeFiTeNi) would not be like that.

What say you?
Would you say Fi or Si has bigger role in this or just some combination those two?

 

[INTJMom]

...
a) material things bring back memories and emotions of past events and people that are important

I had an ISFJ [Si Fe Ti Ne] friend who was very much like this.

b) it's hard to throw away any material things that has some emotions attached to them.

I have a problem with this.
I'm not sure if that's my INTJ [Ni Te Fi Se] or INFJ [Ni Fe Ti Se] that struggles with that.

 

[MerkW]

By emotional attachment to things I mean
a) material things bring back memories and emotions of past events and people that are important
b) it's hard to throw away any material things that has some emotions attached to them.

...

What say you?
Would you say Fi or Si has bigger role in this or just some combination those two?

I have very strong emotional bonds with physical objects and abstract concepts. I, personally, have a rather well-developed Si, which certainly influences such. My Fi, on the other hand, is not very developed.

Personally, the reason why I seem to form strong emotional bonds with inanimate objects/concepts is because such are much easier to form than bonds with people. People are too unpredictable. Human behavior is a dynamic system. Very interesting to study from a detached perspective, yet, for me, quite unnerving to get involved in emotionally.

 

[Poser]

Great thread. I have no idea what causes this but would love to know. It has caused a lot of problems between my and my ISFJ wife. I hoard and she wants to have yard sales every month to purge. I average about 3 "junk drawers" and that seems to be the limit that she can handle before she makes me consolidate. They eventually get so full we have to transfer the contents to a box and store it in the attic or closet.

I don't know if the OP wants to only deal with items with an emotional attachment? But I do both. Some items I hoard because they might "one day" be useful and others because of an emotional value. On the useful side, I can say nothing makes me happier than to need a cable splitter, be able to go into the attic and find the exact box it is in and be able to use it. Nothing infuriates me more to know I have one somewhere and not be able to find it, all the while thinking ISFJ must have thrown it away when I wasn't paying attention.

For reference:
Ti Ne Si Fe = intp
Si Fe Ti Ne = isfj

 

[alcea rosea]

Some items I hoard because they might "one day" be useful and others because of an emotional value.

This (bolded part) I think it's another matter. I think it might be more N thing than what I was describing. (I might be also wrong). N's look to the future and think they might need something someday. S's might think that I don't need it today and throw it away. This was just a thought, it might be not N-S thing at all?

So, in my mind, I would separate the two reasons for not throwing anything away + I would add a third one of collecting material things.

1) Not throwing away anything because of an emotional attachment (Si+Fi?)
2) Not throwing away anything because of the thougt the thing might be needed someday. (N?)

Collecting material things is another matter: collecting things for an interest, collecting thigs for their value etc.

What do you think?

 

[pure_mercury]

I nearly broke down last night while trawling through music, e-mails, and websites that were important to me about 7-8 years ago.

 

[Poser]

So, to not derail the intent of the thread, did you want to specifically speak about type and collecting or type and not throwing away? I believe you are right that they are two different items. I will say that I have never collected. Ie: Shells, baseball cards, matchbox cars, etc. The only thing that approached a collection for me growing up were "lego's". But to me that was more of utility, in case I "needed" a piece and didn't have it. Man, I miss playing with lego's.

 

[INTJMom]

...
Personally, the reason why I seem to form strong emotional bonds with inanimate objects/concepts is because such are much easier to form than bonds with people....

You got THAT right!

My best friend for quite a stretch of time was my teddy bear.
He was not a gossip.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Let's say a person who has both Fi and Si in the first four functions of their MBTI type would be very emotionally attached to material things.

...

So I say that at least ENFP's (NeFiTeSi) would be like that but for example ESFP's (SeFiTeNi) would not be like that. What say you?

I say that people who would label themselves as NF or SP would consider whether they are emotionally attached to things when filling out a survey describing themselves. It's not that type causes attachments, but that attachments (and recognition of those attachments) "cause" type.

 

[Jae Rae]

My ENTJ sister, who uses Te-Ni-Se-Fi, has photographophilia. Every month our extended family (all the cousins) get an online photo album of 8-12 photographs of what her family's been doing. She constantly photographs them; she even sent me 12 photos of her cat's surgery. Every holiday, vacation and event is well-documented. Her house is filled with graduation photos, family portraits, etc.

She's also kept schoolwork, artwork and clothes from her kids' babyhood through high school (they're now 16). She says it's because she doesn't remember the past very well. She's amazed my mom can remember events from 50-60 years ago.

I have Fe and save articles of sentimental value - cards, letters, photos - but nothing like this. What people write and say to me is very important, objects less so. I have a hard time throwing out things that might be useful someday, but I do it.

Jae Rae

 

[JustDave]

This is a topic that is somewhat near and dear to my heart as I have almost zero attachment, emotional or otherwise, to objects. And to be quite honest I have no idea why I am this way but I always have been this way and imagine that I always will be.

 

[aeon]

There is one object in particular that I have an emotional attachment to, and over the years it has gotten stronger.

When I was nine years old my parents gave me a lump of coal for Christmas, and it was the only present I received.

I still have that lump of coal. It is a powerful symbol for me, and its meaning to me has changed as I have grown.

For reference, my function preference order is Fi Fe Ni Ne.


cheers,
Ian

p.s. I experience a positive emotional state when I look at my collection of guitar pedals.

 

[Hexis]

Let's say a person who has both Fi and Si in the first four functions of their MBTI type would be very emotionally attached to material things.

By emotional attachment to things I mean
a) material things bring back memories and emotions of past events and people that are important
b) it's hard to throw away any material things that has some emotions attached to them.

Fi & Si because
- Si helps to remember past details and
- Fi attaches emotions to those feelings.

So I say that at least ENFP's (NeFiTeSi) would be like that but for example ESFP's (SeFiTeNi) would not be like that.

What say you?
Would you say Fi or Si has bigger role in this or just some combination those two?

Im not so sure on your theory, it pretty much doesnt apply to me at all. But this could be due to personal issues, my mom is a pack rat and thus her house (IMO) is filthy. I hate keeping stuff if it no longer has a use, i throw stuff away all the damn time. And I cant name one item i have sentimental value to, I dont even get that feeling for an item when a SO gives me it. That whole concept just doesnt work for me, when it comes to material things I only want them for as long as they serve a practical purpose. Now of course that purpose could be something practical to me, but not to others.

 

[JustDave]

... I only want them for as long as they serve a practical purpose. Now of course that purpose could be something practical to me, but not to others.

My feelings exactly. I only have one rule when it comes to organization: If I did not know that I had it then I must not need it and therefore I do not want it. Into the garbage it goes!

 

[Athenian200]

I'd probably guess Fi or Si could do it alone, but having both would definitely intensify this tendency. I'm not sure one does it more than the other.

I usually become attached to material things that are still potentially useful, simply because I can't justify throwing something useful away. If I find someone else who can use it, though, I don't mind giving it to them if I didn't depend on it. I tend to throw away even things I've become attached to if they get beyond repair, however (but not without a little resentment). So I'm rather strange that way...

 

[Tallulah]

There is one object in particular that I have an emotional attachment to, and over the years it has gotten stronger.

When I was nine years old my parents gave me a lump of coal for Christmas, and it was the only present I received.

I still have that lump of coal. It is a powerful symbol for me, and its meaning to me has changed as I have grown.

For reference, my function preference order is Fi Fe Ni Ne.


cheers,
Ian

p.s. I experience a positive emotional state when I look at my collection of guitar pedals.

Gosh, I don't think I've ever known a parent to follow through with that "lump of coal" threat...what significance does it have to you now? I can definitely see where it would have had an impact.

 

[alcea rosea]

Most of the people who answered to this thread seem to think it's not Si or Fi (although some agreed with it) which makes people emotionally attached to material things.

What could it be then, attachment to material things? Or is it so that emotional attachment cannot be linked to any function of MBTI? Could it be Fi/e +S in general?

I think it could be something innate because children from the same family are different in this aspect.

 

[skip]

I'm like that but my need to have a simplified external world motivates me to get rid of a lot of stuff.

 

[GZA]

That happens to me with some material things that are very important to me. I remember, even as a small child, being upset when someone wanted to throw out my stuff. We were having a garage sale when I was like five and I remember being so sad that these things were being sold, even if I didn't really use them anymore.

The current thing is my entire basement. It is all marked up and damaged from years of playing hockey. It needs new paint and everything, but I don't want my parents to do it because I'm so attached to it. I don't think they even take it seriously, but I feel like painting over those walls would be paitning over me. I dented those walls and the events that caused those dents are some of my favourite memories. That whole basement is very important to me, and to change it seems very wrong. In short, I'm very emotionally attached to it.