Do your obsessions change?

[Spazmelda]

my son seems to cycle through new special interests. The time they last is variable. He was on sharks for a while, had a brief sidetrack on raptors, then was back to sharks. Now he's on to minecraft and sharks seems to have been completely abandoned. He's had others in the past that are completely abandoned now.

So, do you ever get done with a special interest or do you still have interests you had as a younger child? What happens when you are done with one? Do you lose interest completely?

Part of this is personal curiosity for myself as well. I've mentioned on here that I think I have some aspie like traits, and special interests might possibly be one area. My family says my hobby is starting new hobbies, and this is fairly accurate. I throw myself into new hobbies with reckless abandon and become totally immersed in them. But when I'm done with them, I am usually completely done, all my interest is burned up and gone.

 

[King_Oni]

I've had so many interests in my life I've lost count. As a kid I had my interests and then changed all the time, but given that I didn't have the resources to get into new things it probably kept it way, way more in line than now, where my own money comes into play. If it's interests that can be satisfied by going online it's one thing, but the moment interests require physical items (music instruments come to mind) it's becoming a totally different thing alltogether.

I suppose it's different what it does with someone, some might rebound, others might abandon it. I've even had some interests of mine annoy me so much I pretty much have a slight grudge towards them. In that sense I can identify with you and how you might be burned up totally.

What usually helps me to keep interested is to actually immerse myself 24/7 in it and take it a step further. An ongoing interest of mine is music and music production, so music instruments and recording is something I always enjoyed doing, but I do need to have goals and ideas to work with. And that at times has taken over silly immersion; about a decade ago I was involved in a band and that came down to me writing pretty much all music, all lyrics, working out the image for the band, running the website, doing all promotion... and as a result abandon education, friends and spend less time on relationships. That's kinda how I keep that fire going. I find an interest and find a multitude of angles that can be combined with it so I keep focus. It translates terribly to society in general I suppose, but the infinite hopping around always feels like I'm doing things with ample motivation and just do them, for the sake of doing it.

 

[SameStars]

I kind of burn through my interests - be really invested, until suddenly I'm not. Only one I really consider special, because it lasted years rather than weeks or months which is pretty much the obsession-rate for any other interests I have. So I've got a bunch of unfinished projects that leave me cold now, or still intrigue me somewhat.

 

[Spazmelda]

That is very similar to what I see in myself and what I am starting to see in my son. For my interests I will be totally immersed and invested. As King-Oni mentioned, this can involve buying lots of equipment or supplies, and I have just about as much fun researching the equipment and supplies as I do actually doing the activity, lol. I will also do lots of research, becoming kind of a mini-expert in the area. Then, one day it is gone. Usually replaced by something else.

I see similar traits in my son, though as mentioned above, he doesn't really have the means to invest a lot of money into them. We will end up buying lots of things for him (he has a need to collect, I think). He will spend lots of time sorting, organizing, admiring, then one day all interest is gone and he's on to the next thing.

It doesn't really bother me to much, for myself. Lots of the supplies and things I end up buying are usually useful for other things, and sometimes I will sell the more expensive supplies/tools and recoup some of the expenditure. I just have to keep in mind that my interest will probsbly be transient and I should not buy the really expensive items. For example, though I'd really love to learn say, arc-welding or glass blowing, the equipment needed for these things would be cost prohibitive, and I would undoubtedly lose interest eventually. Lol.

 

[113]

They change for me. Some of them are short-lived and some last for years.

 

[Suzanne]

The only obsession that has not changed, is my bible reading, which I do without let up, every single evening, for the past 8 months and I intend to keep this up til I die!

Other than that, yes, I run in and out of obsessions all the time! My husband half jokingly said once: you have more obsessions that I have hot dinners!

My last obsession was learning all about ebola and that lasted about 2 weeks and then the pattern changed and I have lost total interest, but retain the information.

 

[Spiller]

I've had countless interests - I've got a list, incomplete as there're just too many to remember - some, like space travel which lasted for all of my school and college years, I still dip into occasionally.. others, the Terminator films, say, burn out once I've watched every film and read every book and comic a million times.
I have an odd one at the moment.. I'm currently suffering something of a severe downturn in depression and anxiety, to the extent that I can't even summon enough motivation to have any interests at all and it's left me feeling really empty.. yet I seem to have become obsessed with self analysis in an attempt to fix myself, so maybe that's my interest at the moment

 

[Judge]

Well...I have my core obsessions and then those that "float". Coming and going sometimes for good reason, and then some for no reason at all.

This one comes up the same time every year and is a real beezer.

 

[Harrison]

I have three obsessions that never change, all my others can be like the wind.

 

[Explosition_Rooster]

Yes... and no; I have an obsession with video games, but the platform that I play them on changes like the season. Or the score in a very close football game. It depends on alot of things: what I'm feeling like when I wake up, what I want to do, whether I want to talk to someone or not.

I don't think of it as a problem to me, because I generally don't let it become a problem to others.

 

[Spazmelda]

Thanks for all of your replies. Sounds like serial hobbies/obsessions are pretty common.

Spiller- I am sorry to hear about your depression and anxiety. I hope you feel better soon!

Judge- I don't know what a beezer is!

 

[KinksFan]

I also have three life long obsessions. The Kinks, The Olympics and the Internet. I have other special interests that change frequently. Right now, it's Jiggers.

 

[Spazmelda]

Jiggers, like the little arthropod guys?

 

[ThatSkyWing]

I have two obssesions that never change, the others come and go.

 

[ChoctawFighter]

YES. I do this all the time! I've found that many times my specific interests fall under broader categories that are also interests (if I phrased that well enough).

I developed an obsessive interest with tornadoes when I was about two. I memorized the entire Fujita scale by at least five, complete with levels of damage done for each. I became somewhat of an expert on them, collecting a lot of information, memorized safety precautions. Also grew obsessed with watching Twister endlessly (still an all-time favorite), and wanted to be a storm chaser.

Then, I grew a "crush" on Dan Aykroyd's personality after watching the Great Outdoors. This turned into an infatuation and the crush developed to include his early SNL seventies-looks. He became an obsession without me realizing it; I collected movies and info about his biography and filmography. After telling others of it, I grew ashamed of the infatuation.

I developed an obsession with Saint Bernards....always had an obsession with music.....Clinical Psychology.....etc. Right now I'm focused in on autism (ironically; under clinical psychology) after realizing I want to get better and advance in life. It provided as motivation for me.

Though yes, my obsessions do tend to switch, although they fall under other interests sooooo....yeah. Lol

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

I find that my obsessions have "phases" that vary in length. Some overlap with one another. For example, in my early childhood I have been obsessed with the Loch Ness monster (and other cryptids, for that matter), the James Bond movies, space exploration efforts, public transit systems (especially Boston's own "the T") and Canada.

My current obsessions are extreme metal music (espeically black metal), creative writing (although it probably doesn't show, because I live my life in a chronic state of writers' block), and one particularly controversial computer game that isn't even out yet, but I'll have you figure it out.

Also, sometimes, I've caught myself looking up material relating to previous obsessions if I'm feeling in a particularly nostalgic mood. Seriously, sometimes I'll look up pictures of trains for pleasure and just browse through thousands of them, and that's my afternoon.

 

[King_Oni]

and one particularly controversial computer game that isn't even out yet, but I'll have you figure it out.

I'll just go ahead and guess it's Hatred, considering your avatar is from that game and your username reminds me of the trailer.

As much as I'm a sucker for controversy I'm interested in this game and see what it's all about and if all the controversy and rage was justified.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

I'll just go ahead and guess it's Hatred...

Bingo! In all honesty, I'm looking forward to this game only because I feel like it will be a positive channeling of my disappointment in humankind, and a great release of pent-up angst. Although I will say that a lot of people who support this game are utter scumbags.

I also have... other obsessions that would make any "normal" person want to vomit.

 

[King_Oni]

Bingo! In all honesty, I'm looking forward to this game only because I feel like it will be a positive channeling of my disappointment in humankind, and a great release of pent-up angst. Although I will say that a lot of people who support this game are utter scumbags.

I also have... other obsessions that would make any "normal" person want to vomit.

Oh, I suppose I have my share of oddities, plenty of us do. I just try really hard to know where to draw the line on what to share, lol. Even here.

Plenty of posts on topics I've contributed on probably end up with "and I'll leave it at that", heh.

Suppose you're right, but that's kinda what videogames should do. Release some of that frustration. However, I'd be mightilty disappointment if it was nothing more than a going on a killing spree with little to no narrative; and that as of yet, seems to be what most people consider the game to be.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

I'd be mightilty disappointment if it was nothing more than a going on a killing spree with little to no narrative; and that as of yet, seems to be what most people consider the game to be.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd love if there would be a narrative to Hatred, some kind of psychological rationale or explanation in the story as to why the Antagonist is so hateful. I'm sure he must've had a really messed up childhood. I agree 100%.