What is an obsession? Why do they form? Can you stop an obsession? Is an obsession a good thing or a bad thing? Do I want an obsession? Is an obsession healthy? Is it abnormal to have an obsession? I have asked myself these questions many times over and over again searching for an answer. I have found quite a lot of answers from different people and while doing this I found that an obsession is something of opinion that one person has become infatuated with. I have also found that one obsession is not like another. Each person has something they are obsessed with wither they realize it or not.

While researching obsessions I found a lot of little quirks about people’s opinions on obsessions. I found that some people viewed them in a bad way, as in something not to want or be concerned about, kind of like a disease. I have found that others view it as something fun and enjoyable. I asked one girl her definition of an obsession and she said “An obsession is when you can't stop thinking about someone or something to the point where it takes over your thinking.” I found this opinion very interesting because she brought forth the idea of being obsessed with another human being, I have also thought of this before and found it intriguing that another person also associated the two. Another girl I asked said “I believe an obsession is anything or anyone that takes over a person's life by their own free will. Of course there are degrees of obsessions, some are worse than others, but they're always a big part of a person's life.” I liked this person’s idea of having different degrees of obsessions, I thought about this for a while and came up with a theory that there are three different levels of obsession.

Level 1.) Mild Obsession: Mild obsessions are minor infatuations. For example having a favorite band and having a few posters around your room or wearing a tee-shirt for your favorite sports team.

Level 2.) Super Fan Girl/Boy): This stage is when a person gets kind of annoying with their obsession. For example a person talking mainly about that topic such as a band, an artist, or even a sport.

Level 3.) Uhhmm...you may need some help if you get here…: This stage is when things start to get out of hand. One way to relate this with something is to compare it to something. For example when The Beatles got big and girls would actually climb on stage to get close to them.

            I also asked these two girls why they think an obsession forms. One said “Because something may take great interest to a person.” And the other girl said “I think they form due to past environment (either "I was raised on this and it makes me feel comfortable" or "my parents would hate this so I love it/him/her") or a desire to explore a person's rightful place; where they fit in, the type of people they want to attract.” This theory really made me think about how my past made me really enjoy certain musical artists. Like my mom showing me Billy Joel at a young age. I still know all the words to his song “Piano Man.” I then asked these two girls if they think they could stop an obsession. The first girl said it depends on the degree of the obsession. And the second girl declared that an obsession can be stopped. I asked next if they thought an obsession was normal or not. Both girls completely agreed that an obsession was a completely normal thing (so if you were worried you were insane like I did you’re all good). I finally asked these two girls if they considered themselves obsessed with anything. The first girl said no she doesn’t think she does have any obsessions but, she said that she wouldn’t mind having one. The other girl fully admitted to having a few healthy mild obsessions.

            In conclusion an obsession is completely normal and is actually a fun thing to have if they aren’t out of control. If you have a mild obsession I don’t see any reason to be worried just have fun and enjoy yourself (I know I do). Embrace your obsession, who knows it might help you make some new friends along the way. What is your obsession?

             (I would like to thank Antoinette G. and Madison R. for helping me get some different perspectives on this topic. Your ideas and opinions really helped me get a better understanding. Thanks for helping me out on my first article!)