Collections: Why do people collect and how the design of Urban Vinyl toy revolution brought a new era of collectors.

‘Not just objects are collected we are collected…empire is a collection of countries and of populations; a country is a collection of regions and peoples; each given people is a collection of individuals, divided into governed and governers- that is collectables and collectors’ Eisner and Cardinal (1994:2)
This essay will firstly define what collecting is. Then it will look why people collect, looking into people’s individual views as well as the view of expert psychologist and palaeontologist. It will also examine if age and gender affects habits of collecting. Another area to be explored is the idea of part work
Freud believed that it comes from the ‘impulse to explore and seek contact with others’ (Pearce: 1994:329) The Psychologist Dr David Schleoff believes that ‘ it makes us emotionally comfortable to have things, it makes us feel safe and secure’ (Eckstein: 2009:online article) like the idea of a collection is a way of building a forte around us of what belongs to us to protect us from the outside world. Patricia Cahill an English Professor supports this ‘Collectors try to create a little world they can order because the real world is so chaotic’ (Eckstein: 2009:online article) basically supporting that people collect what makes them comfortable in there surroundings however also organising them makes them feel in control of what is going on around them. Another point raised by Mark B. Mc Kinley was the social aspect of meeting people with the same interests and passions as you, this helps define the personality of the individual person and the identity they create for themselves. ‘ Some collect to expand their social lives, attending swap meetings and exchange information with like-minded souls.’ (Mc Kinley: online article)