Lots of people like to do a little therapeutic shopping from time to time, just as a little pick-me-up. “Retail therapy” like this goes wrong when you find yourself buying something even when you know you can’t really afford it. You just feel like you can’t help yourself. And then when the thrill of the… Continue reading Retail Therapy Gone Wrong
Category: Compulsive Buying
Fashion Blogs May Be a Hazard to Your Health… Especially If You’re a Celebrity Worshiper!
We’ve all had a “celebrity crush”, and “Celebrity Worship, Materialism, Compulsive Buying, and the Empty Self” reveals what can happen when that “crush” turns into an obsession. Celebrity worship is associated with “The Empty Self Theory.” a theory that suggests that someone with an empty self “is plagued by a loss of a shared sense… Continue reading Fashion Blogs May Be a Hazard to Your Health… Especially If You’re a Celebrity Worshiper!
More Male Shopaholics
Nobody wants to see the number of shopping addictions grow, even if it means making the genders balance more even. But shopping addiction is not a female-only problem, and opening up the dialog to men too takes away some of the stigma. Terence Shulman of the the Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending, and Hoarding… Continue reading More Male Shopaholics
Shopping and the Six Human Needs, Part Two
Remember Anthony Robbins’ “six human needs?” Let’s talk about the final three. These are connection, growth, and contribution. How can these help us understand shopping addiction? Shopping can provide some sense of connection with others: you’re engaging in a common activity, what you’re purchasing (a gift) is a way of connecting, or you’re engaged with the… Continue reading Shopping and the Six Human Needs, Part Two
Buzz Bissinger’s Shopping Addiction Creates Lots of Buzz
Buzz Bizzinger created a lot of it this week with his tell-all story in the April issue of GQ, a confessional about his shopping and sex addictions. A sportswriter who’s best known for his book Friday Night Lights, subsequently made into a film and a TV series, Bissinger grew up financially privileged, but he was… Continue reading Buzz Bissinger’s Shopping Addiction Creates Lots of Buzz
Buzz Bissinger Checks Into Rehab for Shopping Addiction
Earlier this week, Buzz Bissinger, writer of Friday Night Lights, confessed to shopaholism in GQ article. He admitted to a buying spree that ate up over half a million dollars in less than two years and that he was checking himself into rehab for his shopping addiction. But most compulsive shoppers are neither famous nor… Continue reading Buzz Bissinger Checks Into Rehab for Shopping Addiction
Eat, Shop and Be Merry? (Part II)
My first conscious awareness of the relationship between eating disorders and compulsive shopping came in the early 90’s at a national conference on eating disorders. Catherine Steiner-Adair, in her keynote address, asked the audience what we thought were the two major ways women had for dealing with the ups and downs of life. The silence… Continue reading Eat, Shop and Be Merry? (Part II)
Understanding a Shopping Addiction
A shopping addiction can provide entertainment for television and movies as in the show “My Shopping Addiction” and the popular movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” Far from being glamorous, this disorder can cause serious trouble in real life. It can be hard to spot this addictive behavior, but it is more common than you may think. Behind… Continue reading Understanding a Shopping Addiction
Recognizing Spending Addiction
Do you find yourself trying to buy happiness, admiration, acceptance, or empowerment? Does spending money help you chase away your troubles, even though you know that your overspending habits will catch up with you one day? These are all symptoms of a spending addiction. Just like with any other behavioral addiction, the performance of a… Continue reading Recognizing Spending Addiction
Compulsive Hoarding and Shopping
It seems like hoarding is getting a lot of media attention recently, with shows like TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive and the Hoarders shows on A&E. While popular television tends to sensationalize, the amount of air-time dedicated to this serious problem has the potential for positive outcomes. As blogger Kristin Bell suggests, these shows might alert… Continue reading Compulsive Hoarding and Shopping