Shopaholic: Mental Disorders or Just Hobbies?

Medical Video: Britain's Compulsive Shoppers (Mental Health Documentary) | Only Human
Various types of shopaholic
What causes a person to become shopaholic?
A shopaholic mindset
1. Shopaholic will continue to try to be liked by others
2. Shopaholic has low self-esteem
3. Shopaholic has emotional problems
4. Shopaholic has difficulty controlling impulses
5. Shopaholic always spoils fantasy
6. Shopaholic tends to be materialistic
Short-term and long-term effects experienced by shopaholic
1. Short-term effects
2. Long-term effects

Medical Video: Britain's Compulsive Shoppers (Mental Health Documentary) | Only Human

Shopaholic is a person who forces himself to shop and may feel he has no control over that behavior. In other words, we can call a shopaholic a passion for shopping addiction.

Various types of shopaholic

According to psychologist Terrence Shulman, shopaholic consists of various types of behavior, namely:

compulsive buyer (shop to distract)
trophy buyers (find the perfect accessories for clothes, etc., even though they are top class items)
image buyers (buying expensive cars, and other items seen by others)
discount buyers (buy items that are not needed just because they are being slashed in price or can also be called discount hunters)
codependent buyer (buying only to be loved and liked by a partner or other person)
bulimia buyers (buy and then return, buy again and then return again, similar to bulimia)
collector buyers (must buy a complete set of items or buy the same clothes with various colors).

If we think carefully, shopaholic is no longer a hobby, but it can be defined as a mental disorder. Therefore, let's examine more about shopaholic below!

What causes a person to become shopaholic?

According to Ruth Engs, a professor of applied health sciences from Indiana University, some people become shopaholic because basically they are happy with what their brain feels when shopping. By shopping, their brains release endorphins (pleasure hormones) and dopamine (pleasure hormones), and over time, these feelings become very addictive. Engs claims that 10-15% of the population tends to experience it.

A shopaholic mindset

According to Mark Banschick M.D., an alcoholic can leave liquor, a gambler can stop betting, but shopaholic feels they have a need to shop. This is what makes shopaholic or oniomania referred to as a mental disorder that can damage a person.

As reported by verywell.com, here are some things that are in the mind of a true shopaholic:

1. Shopaholic will continue to try to be liked by others

According to research, a shopaholic usually has a more pleasant personality than non-shopaholic research subjects, which means they are kind, sympathetic, and not rude to others. Because they are often lonely and isolated, the shopping experience provides shopaholics to interact positively with sellers and hope that if they buy something they will improve relationships with others.

2. Shopaholic has low self-esteem

Low self-esteem is one of the most common characteristics found in studies of shopaholic personality. According to shopaholic, shopping is a way to increase self-esteem, especially if the desired object is related to the image (image) that the buyer wants to have. However, low self-esteem can also be a consequence of shopaholic, especially the amount of debt that is owned can increase feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.

3. Shopaholic has emotional problems

Shopaholic has a tendency to have emotional instability or mood swings. Research also found that shopaholic also often suffer from anxiety and depression. Shopping is often used by them to improvemood, even though it only applies temporarily.

4. Shopaholic has difficulty controlling impulses

Impulses are natural, which suddenly pushes you to do something so you will feel the need to act. Most people find it easy enough to control their impulses because they have learned to do it in childhood. On the other hand, shopaholic has excessive and uncontrolled impulses to shop.

5. Shopaholic always spoils fantasy

The shopaholic's ability to fantasize is usually stronger than others. There are several ways that make fantasy reinforce the tendency to buy too much, that is, shopaholics can fantasize about the sensation of shopping when involved in other activities. They can imagine all the positive effects of buying the desired object, and they can escape to the world of fantasy from the rigors of the reality of life.

6. Shopaholic tends to be materialistic

Research shows that shopaholic is more materialistic than other buyers, but they show a complex love for property. Surprisingly, they have absolutely no interest in owning the things they buy and they lack the drive to acquire property compared to others. That explains why shopaholic tends to buy things they don't need.

So, what shows that they are more materialistic than others? There are two other dimensions of materialism, namely envy and not being generous, and this is a weakness of shopaholics. They are far more jealous and less generous than others. The surprising thing is that shopaholics give the items they buy to other people just to "buy" love and improve social status, not as an act of generosity.

Short-term and long-term effects experienced by shopaholic

1. Short-term effects

The short-term effects experienced by shopaholic are they will feel positive. In many cases, they may feel happy after finishing shopping, but that feeling is sometimes mixed with anxiety or guilt, the feeling that drives them to go back to shopping.

2. Long-term effects

The long-term effects felt by shopaholic may vary. Shopaholic tends to face financial problems, and many of them are overwhelmed with debt. In some cases, maybe they only use credit cards to the maximum, but in other cases they might delay the cost of repaying their home and business credit cards.

If you become shopaholic, your personal relationship will also suffer. You may end up divorced or keep away from family, relatives, and other loved ones.