The past couple days I have been trying to come up with different sources to find info from and tried to think out of the box. So, I tried to locate past magazine articles especially in trendy magazines, to see if their view of shopping addiction paralleled that of the research I have found up to this point. I haven't had any luck so far but, to be totally honest, I haven't searched too terribly hard or put a whole lot of effort into digging deep for it. But I will!! I think this is a really important part of writing a good research paper, is recognizing opposite views and seeing it from both points of view.
As far as other research goes, I have dug a little deeper into the umbrella symptom, which is compulsive behavior in general. Trying to relate other compulsive behaviors such as OCD may relate to addictive behavior in a more specific area, such as shopping addiction. So far I have found a lot of information that I think will help me write a very well rounded research paper! I feel good about the process so far. Hope it's going well for all of you too :)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Focus question: How are shopping addictions related to psychological/emotional disorders, and what is it that drives people to become compulsive spenders?
Possible search phrases:
Possible search phrases:
- Compulsive spending symptoms
- Characteristics of shopping addictions
- Causes of compulsive behaviors
- Shopping addictions related to emotional disorders
- Shopping addiction drivers
- Shopping addiction and compulsive spending
- Addict behaviors
- Emotional disorders related to addiction
Thursday, January 14, 2010
What I already know :
Reminder- Shopping/spending addiction
- shopping addiction is also known as compulsive spending
- people who are compulsive spenders are out of control when it comes to spending money
- shopping addicts continue to spend even if funds are short or even unavailable
- shopping addicts continue to spend money even though it may be creating financial, marital, or family problems
- shopping addicts get a certain high when they shop or spend money
- compulsive spenders tend to hide their addiction from family and friends, much like an alcoholic or drug addict
- compulsive spenders feel lost without credit cards
- some shopping addictions are caused from emotional deprivation, anger, or depression. In some cases is used to alleviate depression or acceptance insecurities
- shopping addictions can be viewed as important
- shopping addiction is a form of psychological disorder
- viewed as a serious behavioral problem
- 60-70% of shopping addicts have credit card debt?
Possible questions about my topic:
- What causes such compulsive behavior?
- Why/how is shopping considered an addiction?
- How is compulsive shopping related to credit card debt?
- How is compulsive shopping a good thing?
- Does compulsive shopping control lives much like drug or alcohol addictions do? Why or why not
- Are personal insecurities related to compulsive behaviors?
- How is
- Is a spending addiction really just an attempt to “buy” happiness?
- How does society support the habits of compulsive shoppers?
- Has compulsive shopping increased in the past decade? Why or why not? Could it be directly related to the medias pressure on appearances?
- What are the cures for compulsive shopping or spending?
- What role does self esteem play
- Is “retail therapy” cheaper than an actual therapist
- What is it that drives people to spend more than they can afford?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Research Topic: Shopping spree, or shopping addiction?
So, I think this subject might hit home for quite a few people, myself included. I am particularly interested in the addiction aspect of being a shopaholic and the behaviors of compulsive shoppers/spenders. I would like to explore this topic on a deeper level and find out what it is that makes people feel so good when they go shopping and buy things, and why it is they can't stop. I have come across several interesting facts when doing some topical research on this subject. Shopping addictions have been compared to gambling and drinking addictions and has become sort of a therapy for millions of people. I would like to dig deeper into the saying "Retail Therapy" to see if this actually holds true. Is it simply that it is a way to get away from it all? Does it act a therapy, and if so, is it cheaper than visiting a therapist? Or is this truly an addiction that should be taken seriously? These are some of the angles I plan to explore with this subject. I have listed below a few web sites that were pretty interesting as well as quotes and interesting parts of the articles I found at the sites.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/health/28shopping.html?_r=1&ref=health
So, I think this subject might hit home for quite a few people, myself included. I am particularly interested in the addiction aspect of being a shopaholic and the behaviors of compulsive shoppers/spenders. I would like to explore this topic on a deeper level and find out what it is that makes people feel so good when they go shopping and buy things, and why it is they can't stop. I have come across several interesting facts when doing some topical research on this subject. Shopping addictions have been compared to gambling and drinking addictions and has become sort of a therapy for millions of people. I would like to dig deeper into the saying "Retail Therapy" to see if this actually holds true. Is it simply that it is a way to get away from it all? Does it act a therapy, and if so, is it cheaper than visiting a therapist? Or is this truly an addiction that should be taken seriously? These are some of the angles I plan to explore with this subject. I have listed below a few web sites that were pretty interesting as well as quotes and interesting parts of the articles I found at the sites.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/health/28shopping.html?_r=1&ref=health
- "Ill-advised shopping has certainly turned up recently in the news, and yet the issue also forms the core of a much more contentious and continuing debate. As spenders spend while the economy plummets, the psychiatric world is trying to decide whether compulsive buying should actually be considered a disease."
- "At least for now, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -- which is known as the D.S.M. and is something like the bible of psychological maladies -- does not list the condition as a technical disease. While shopaholism, as the laymen say, has been recognized by the German psychiatric community as a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it still awaits its day in the United States."
- Why does it happen?
"Shopaholism - or oniomania as it's called by psychiatrists - is driven by the same kind of motivation that fuels alcoholism or drug use. A woman feels bad - anxious, lonely, worthless, angry or lacking love. So she goes out and buys things - not only to give herself love, but also to prove to the world at large that she's 'worth it'.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)