2 - Compulsive Buying: Cultural Contributors and Consequences

Summary

Compulsive buying is a multidetermined disorder. The pursuit of material goods, and the tendency toward compulsive buying that often accompanies it, has been accelerated by cultural wrinkle, the burgeoning of marketplaces. The culture, communities, families, and individuals - compulsive buying hurts them all. Compulsive shopping is to bankruptcy as steroids are to home runs. Relationship costs, not the least of which is an individual's relationship with himself or herself, are significant, too. Compulsive buying in children is clearly associated with family histories of compulsive/addictive behaviors. It has also been shown to be associated among adolescents with eating disorders, drinking alcohol, smoking, and early life sexual experiences. Research shows that college students and young adults are particularly vulnerable to compulsive buying. Healthier childhood is often a simpler childhood, one that puts good communication and quality time with family and friends far above engagement with the material world.