Shopaholism
I have fifty minutes before my exam will be over. Ten minutes have already passed and the only thing I've written so far is my name. I continue to stare at the black type and attempt to make sense of it all. Five minutes remaining and I quickly jot down my final thoughts. My time is up. Usually I would be excited to find out my exam score, but this time there was no use in knowing. I knew I failed. I decided not to attend the rest of my classes for the day and instead do what I usually do when I need to forget about my troubles and just escape into my own world where everything is perfect; go shopping. After my little excursion to the mall, I came back elated, with a bunch of shopping bags in my hands and a huge bill in my pocket. I find myself escaping reality through shopping quite often, but fortunately I do know my limits; however, there are many people who have formed an addiction to shopping. They're almost like alcoholics.
Reasons for excessive shopping vary from wanting to keep up with friends or fashion to simply cheering oneself up. But dysfunctional shopping behavior can easily get out of control. Like alcoholism, notes Chicago psychoanalyst Robert Galatzer-Levy, compulsive shopping represents a case of "the ordinary pleasures of living getting out of hand." Just as nearly every alcoholic starts out as a social drinker, a shopping addict starts out as a recreational shopper -- bringing a little color into a gray day by picking up a pair (or three) of shoes. About 90 years ago, German psychologist, Emil Kraepelin defined excessive shopping as an illness, calling it "oniomania" after the Latin onos, or price, but only recently has this disorder begun to be understood.
According to Observer Magazin...
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...ed because at times I do go shopping to relieve stress and I do come back with lots of bags in my hands, but I don't own a credit card so I know my limits since I'm using cash. Now I wonder what will happen when I do get a credit card, but hopefully I'll be alright since I'm reducing my expenditure on unnecessary items already. I think if we recognize a problem in our spending habits at an early stage, then we can prevent falling victim to shopaholism, but if we continue to deny the problem and go on buying more and more for no apparent reason then the situation may get out of hand and treatment would be needed. Like binge eating or pathological gambling, shopaholism distorts our sense of self and if anyone feels as though he or she might be falling victim to this disorder then it is highly recommended that something is done immediately, before it becomes too late.
Imagine the worst torture possible. Now imagine the same thing only ten times worse; In Auschwitz that is exactly what it was like. During the time of the Holocaust thousands of Jewish people were sent to this very concentration camp which consisted of three camps put into one. Here they had one camp; Auschwitz I; the main camp, Auschwitz II; Birkenau, and last is Auschwitz III; Monowitz. Each camp was responsible for a different part but all were after the same thing; elimination of the Jewish race. In these camps they had cruel punishments, harsh housing, and they had Nazi guards watching them and killing them on a daily basis.
Over the years, the American department store has developed and evolved as not only a commercial business but also a cultural institution. While it has weathered many storms and changes since its inception and throughout history, its most predominant enemy has been a change in the lifestyle of the American people (Whitaker, 2013). As the customer’s needs and wants have shifted, department stores have struggled to keep up with demands. It has been argued that the decline of the department store has been ongoing for the last 50 years (Whitaker, 2013). This dissertation aims to understand how the department store has historically played a role in consumer culture and spending, and additionally, how this has evolved and changed in today’s retail market. Although department stores may not be able to take all the credit for inventing modern shopping, they certainly made its conventions and conveniences commonplace. They set a new standard for the way the consumer should expect to be treated, the type of services that should be provided, and the convenience that should attend the process of acquiring the necessities and niceties of life all in one place. They made shopping into a leisure pastime. This environment meant shopping was a means of freedom to look around, pick up objects with no obligations to buy. As one historian remarked, department stores: “encouraged a perception of the building as a public place, where consumption itself was almost incidental to the delights of a sheltered promenade in a densely crowded, middle-class urban space” (Whitaker, 2006). Although this perception and view of the department store has changed over the years, this paper aims to follow the trail of how and why that happened.
I fully understand we humans have the tendency to purchase on items that we are attracted to. However, that doesn’t mean we cannot overcome our persuasive urges to spend. Humans must think righteous and conserve.
Here is a little bit of history of why console games have been so popular since the first existing console, Nintendo Entertainment system (NES), by Japanese gaming company in 1985. Nintendo did a good job in marketing the first console game in the past in selling thirty million dollars worth of merchandise in the United States and ninety million dollars worldwide. This successful console game business changed the industry of gaming so that soon, Sony, another big Japanese electronic company, launched its first console called Sony Playstation in 1995. This console dominated the market so that Sony succeeded in selling more than ninety million dollars by 2002. As the battle of console games continued, there was one important fact that was inevitable called “period of excitement.” After a while, people will get bored with the same kind of machine with the same kind of capability. This is why Nintendo initiated the practice of releasing a new console every 5 to 6 years. It released the latest upgraded Nintendo console called GameCube (2000) following the release of Playstation two (PS2) by Sony in the same year. The popularity of these console games excited Bill Gates, the CEO of the huge Microsoft Company, to participate in the competition of console gaming by releasing the Xbox in the same year.
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by "brief episodes of intense fear accompanied by multiple physical symptoms (such as heart palpitations and dizziness) that occur repeatedly and unexpectedly in the absence of any external threat." Unlike fear, there is seemingly no reason or input that causes such an episode. It feels almost like an internal earthquake, something over which you have no warning and feel no control, an event that destabilizes the foundation of what you consider within the borders of normal expectation. After an initial panic attack, individuals often become incredibly fearful about the possibility of another attack. The degree to which this affects subsequent behavior and lifestyle can be extremely drastic and potentially debilitating. Whether it is a daily transformation or a more anxious reaction to the next time one feels dizzy, panic attacks have a lasting impact on the thoughts and actions of the individuals who experience them.
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 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...
Before you even get out to the road during the winter, you need to make sure our vehicles are ready to safely take us where you need to go. One way this can be achieved is by making sure the vehicle’s tires still have sufficient tread on them. Trying to stretch out the life of a tire may have serious consequences when the roads are wet or frozen because, as the treads are worn by the use, the tires start losing their grip on the road. Another important factor of driving during snow or rain is taking into account that under this conditions things happen faster than normal so you may have no time to adju...
Playing games on the PC for the first time is like discovering an amazing artist that you have never heard of before. Now, PC gaming is not perfect and there are crashes. However, it is very easy to fix those crashes. I remember when I bought Fallout 3 and it continually crashed after about 15 minutes of playing it. Once I lost my patience and looked up why it kept crashing, it was very simple to fix. The only thing I had to do to fix the problem was change the resolution on my game to one that suited my laptop screen. The game has not crashed since then. The next thing that proves the superiority of the PC is the customization that is present. I can build a PC from the ground up, if I want to. Building a PC is easy, since all I need to do is buy parts and assemble the computer. Building a computer means that I could choose the exact parts I want to improve performance. Another way to customize PC gaming is the ability to mod, or modify games in some way. Mods can make a game easier or harder, or just change one thing within the game. The last thing about PC gaming is the prices of the games. The prices of the games are about the same as the consoles, however, there are more sales online than in stores and there is no scarcity with digital games. There are also no microtransactions in PC gaming. Consoles will charge for additional online features for their special memberships. Those extra charges are not
... as a normal once in a lifetime event where you might express fear of something. But, when the panic attack becomes more than one or two events it can become a panic disorder which can affect any teen social interaction and health. Teens must seek immediate treatment when they face several episodes of panic disorders.
There are people who also like blaming the fashion industry for the this problem. They are saying that they are forcing people to think that they need the things that they are selling will make you happy (Elisa). This is simply not true, the problem of addiction is much more complex than somebody simply wanting to keep getting something they like. The problem stems from the brain and can be caused by genetics or the environment the person lived around. The person with Compulsive Buying Disorder can’t control the fact that they want to keep buying things. Even then, it’s not only clothes that most of these people like to buy; these guys usually buy anything they think is mildly
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.
People who shop until then cannot shop any more, and run their credit cards up to the max often have a shopping addiction. These people believe that the more the shop, the more they will feel better. In reality, compulsive shopping often makes the person feel worse. Compulsive shopping is similar to other addictive behaviors and has some characteristics of alcoholism, gambling, and overeating addictions.
When comparing two different ways of shopping most people do not even think about, they do both and not even realize it. In today?s society people shop while at work, after work and on the weekends, whenever time permits. Did you ever stop and think how can I get more time in the day for family or just myself? The best way to figure out with all the recourses we have; still most of us go into a store and spend time looking through racks and waiting in endless line to just purchase something. I compared going into a store verses online shopping; to see which on will save you time and money.
Whether these items are necessities or even a splurge item. Trips to the store are made for a reason and when you go there will always be the impulse buyer, the list maker, and the bargain hunter. Each type has a different method and these methods are being used to shop, and they are our personal ways of shopping. You will come across many different types of shoppers. You will now realize what kind of shoppers these people you encounter are. Every shopper has a different personality when it comes to shopping as well. Some can be good as well as bad. Shopping is a fun thing regardless. Almost every individual enjoys it. We all have had something we 've been excited to buy. These kinds of shoppers can be found anywhere products are being