Compulsive Spending

It’s difficult to spend time in any women’s community, online or otherwise, without hearing a reference to retail therapy. In the popular press, shopping is gendered as a pursuit for ... Read More

People using touch screens are more likely to make emotion-driven purchasing decisions, according to a study published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. The study found ... Read More

Understanding the endless pit of wanting that resides in many people who compulsively shop is an arduous and insightful process. Not only does this process take time and patience, it involves ... Read More

“How does my relationship with money correlate with my spending addiction?” a woman asked me recently when she phoned for a consultation. It was a fair and good question, one I had ... Read More

Thanks for your question. Boy, that is a doozy of a choice: bankruptcy or divorce. Would you rather lose the arm or the leg? It really does sound like your wife has a shopping addiction ... Read More

Sometimes there’s nothing a worried brain likes more than to go shopping. Shopping can be creative and social. It’s often optimistic and happy-future-oriented. Plus, it’s distracting. ... Read More

Retail therapy. Shopaholic. Overspending. Debtors Anonymous. Call it what you will—our need to categorize people and their resulting habits and behaviors leads us to simplistic yet ... Read More

The holiday season is rife with the spoils of consumer culture as people flood malls and shopping centers searching for gifts, decorations, and foods to be purchased and shared at parties ... Read More

Typical holiday-season news scene from inside a giant mall filled with people, stuff, and noise: Reporter, shoving microphone into shopper’s face: “How much did you spend on presents ... Read More

Addiction occurs when a person becomes physically or psychologically dependent on a substance, thing, or activity, generally leading to withdrawal symptoms when it is unavailable. Many ... Read More

“I am indeed rich, since my income is superior to my expenses, and my expenses are equal to my wishes.” —Edward Gibbon Self-love, self-respect, and self-compassion are all helpful ... Read More

Compulsive shoppers buy items to fill a feeling of emptiness or loneliness. They use it as a coping method for dealing with painful life experiences and as a way to overcome feelings of ... Read More