Now one may wonder how come everyone experiencing a negative mood while shopping does not become a compulsive shopper? The reason for this is the biological, psychological, and sociological factors that cause individuals to be vulnerable and susceptible to compulsive shopping. In terms of biological factors, Faber (1992) states that many compulsive buyers are not only likely to have other impulse control disorders, but are also more likely to have eating disorders and alcoholism. Furthermore, individuals with impulse control disorders have been found to have low levels of serotonin, and, thus, when they are treated with drugs that block the reuptake of serotonin - an alleviation of symptoms is observed. This was the case for three compulsive …show more content…
Faber examines societal and cultural influences on behavior in order to observe how certain individuals are more or less likely to choose one problem behavior over another (1992). He discusses how socialization may play a key role in which impulsive behavior an individual chooses based on gender due to the fact that certain impulsive behaviors are predominated by a certain gender. For instance, more than 80% of compulsive buyers, trichotillomaniacs, and kleptomaniacs are woman, while pathological gambling, intermittent explosive disorder, and pyromania has a vast majority of men suffering from these problems (Faber, 1992). Moreover, an individual is location may also play a role in which impulsive behavior he or she may choose because one must first have the opportunity to engage in that behavior. For instance, compulsive shopping may not be a behavior observed in developing countries or areas where opportunity to purchase is limited or non-existent. In such instances, individuals may exhibit another type of impulsive behavior (Faber, 1992). In addition, in the United States buying is often depicted as an activity one, especially a female, utilizes in order to cope with stress or when feeling depressed, which can be seen in the saying when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping (Faber, 1992). During the same year, Faber and O’Guinn (1992) developed a compulsive buying scale (CBS) as a screening instrument to identify compulsive buyers. The instrument contains seven statements describing compulsive buying behaviors and feelings, and is based on a Likert scale. The CBS has demonstrated to possess good reliability and validity (Faber & O’Guinn,
Companies realize what people need and they take it as sources to produce commodities. However, companies which have famous brands try to get people’s attention by developing their products. Because there are several options available of commodities, people might be in a dilemma to choose what product they looking for. In fact, that dilemma is not real, it is just what people want. That is what Steve McKevitt claims in his article “Everything Now”. When people go shopping there are limitless choices of one product made by different companies, all choices of this product basically do the same thing, but what makes them different is the brand’s name. Companies with brands are trying to get their consumers by presenting their commodities in ways which let people feel impressed, and that are some things they need to buy. This is what Anne Norton discussed in her article “The Signs of Shopping”. People are often deceived by some famous brands, which they will buy as useless commodities to feel they are distinctive.
Addiction can be a disorder filled with denial and regret, and is often sparked by one’s free will. Children are taught, as early as elementary school, to abstain from drugs and alcohol, which constitute the two of the largest culprits of addiction. Naturally, when one ponders addiction, his or her mind automatically travels to the realm of addictive substances, and does not consider what else may constitute as an addiction. What about an addiction affecting nearly a million Americans that does not involve choice? It is an addiction so mysterious that a significant percentage of sufferers go undiagnosed due to hidden mounds of unnecessary clutter. According to Randy Frost and Tamara Hartl, hoarding is medically defined as “the acquisition of, and inability to discard worthless items even though they appear (to others) to have no value” (Defining Compulsive Hoarding). Compulsive hoarding is a devastating disorder that affects an estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States (Maidment).
Lehman, H, and P Witty. "The present status of the tendency to collect and hoard." Psychological Review. 31.1 (1927): 48-56. Print.
In a world ran by money, Paco Underhill has discovered a way for stores to generate a larger profit. In “The Science of Shopping”, Malcolm Gladwell reports on retail anthropologists to examine their theories they use. Gladwell does this to inform store managers on how to set up their stores to maximize their profits. Paco Underhill has shopping down to a science. Inside American Eagle, Meijer and Hollister his theories of the decompression zone, invariant right, and zoning can be found.
A staggering amount of Americans struggle with a form of addiction or “dependency”. According to Winters, 96% of Americans suffer from codependency. Codependency is referred to as a national epidemic, because almost every form of compulsive behavior can be classified as an addiction (1996). Knowing this staggering statistic, we must ask ourselves: How are we contributing to our own codependency?
McCrady, B S., Epstein, E., Cook, S, Jensen, N K., Ladd, B O.; (Sep, 2011). Psychology of Addictive Behaviors; Vol 25(3); 521-529. Doi: 10.1037/a0024037
Who doesn’t like shopping? I can’t name one person. Phyllis rose states many positive qualities in her essay “Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today”. One of the positives qualities she mentions about shopping is that it’s a form of therapy. Being that I love to shop. Rather it’s online or going to the stores it’s something I also find very therapeutic. You don't really need, let's say, another sweater. You need the feeling of power that comes with buying or not buying it. You need the feeling that someone wants something you have--even if it's just your money. To get the benefit of shopping, you needn't actually purchase the sweater. After a long stressful work or school day there’s nothing more relaxing than walking around
Compulsive behaviors are often thought to involve free will. It also is contrasted to be the same as compelled behavior, where the person is under the influence that they are behaving some way under their own accord. If someone resists an impulse it become increasingly difficult to be successful over time. By resisting these impulses, they experience excruciating levels of psychological pain; making it feel literally impossible to resist urges. Compulsive people have not lost the amount of self-control they have, rather that they are over whelmed by the psychological influence of the addictive behavior. These behaviors are not necessarily caused by the irresistible desires, rather habitual repetitive patterns (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg, 2013).
Sharma, L., Kohl, K., Morgan, T. A., & Clark, L. A. (2013). “Impulsivity”: Relations between self-report
It is a unique technique As technology gets more advanced, people use cameras, tracking devices in the stores to track customers shopping behavior. The retailers apply every detail that they get from anthropologists to get people to buy their products. Some people claim that the surveillance of consumers by retail anthropologists is manipulative and unethical. However, the claim is not entirely true. Many retailers use the data they get from anthropologists and apply it to their store to create great experiences for their customers, encourage customers to revisit, and ultimately improve business performance.
Compulsive hoarding has been universally defined by researchers as a chronic behavioral syndrome that is categorized by three unique qualities: the extreme retention and failure to dispose of an abundant quantity of useless objects, living environments so condensed with clutter that it compromises day-to-day living for its occupants, and finally a significant provocation of anxiety or distress caused by the hoarding (Franks et al. 79). Although the definition of compulsive hoarding is universally accepted, the cau...
Grant, Jon E. Impulse Control Disorders: A Clinician's Guide to Understanding and Treating Behavioral Addictions. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Google Books. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Compulsive hoarding has been a problem affecting millions of people worldwide for decades now. For some, hoarding begins at a young age, and for others, it begins later on in life. The exact cause of why someone may become a hoarder is unknown. It has been suggested that hoarding is far more likely to affect someone who has a family history of those who have been affected. It has also been suggested that one’s upbringing may also trigger them to begin hoarding. For example, if my parents were hoarders, and I was raised in a house where compulsive hoarding took place, I would most likely follow in my parent’s footsteps and begin hoarding as well. One of the most mistaken assumptions about hoarders is that they are lazy. Compulsive hoarders are not lazy, nor are they weak and unable to clean up. This disorder is psychol...
Everyone likes shopping, but everyone has their own way of spending when they go shopping. I love shopping, but I hate being at the mall, if I don’t need to be there then I won’t be there. I’ve noticed that when I have money, I do not buy anything, and when I do not have money I want everything I see. From my experience I’ve observed that there are people who shop smart, people who are just plain addicted to shopping, people who join another person while shopping, basically called window watchers.
Shopping is something that has to be done whether you enjoy it or not to get essentials needed. We all go places where merchandize is being sold for a specific reason. Whether you go to the mall, shopping centers, or your local grocery store, you 'll always encounter many types of shoppers. Shopping isn’t always as fun as it sounds to everyone, but it is something we often do. This is the only way we get products we need, by personally buying them. You have three main shoppers including impulse buyers, list makers, and bargain hunters.