As the quality of life improves, a group of "shopaholics" have quietly emerged. Their credit cards are often maxed out, and their cabinets are piled with unopened "trophies." Their first reaction after shopping is not enjoyment. Instead, continue searching for your next purchase target. Does a shopping spree mean you are a shopaholic?
In the movie "Shopping", Rebecca is a shopaholic who has 12 credit cards but can never satisfy her inner desires. She has all the typical characteristics of a shopaholic - she buys what she likes when she sees it, and regrets and blames herself after buying it. However, this feeling is fleeting, and she plunges into the next round of shopping battle. She had a sick shopping habit, but she worked as a popular reporter for "Successful Financial Management" magazine. In the end, she went through many difficulties and corrected this bad habit like a drug addiction. So do shopaholics suffer from some kind of mental illness? So what kind of guidance does this behavior need?
There is a difference between being a shopaholic and over-consumption
The most popular nowadays is group buying. Seemingly cheap products and attractive promotions have drawn many people into irrational consumption. of ranks. “The first thing I do when I go online every day is check out the group purchase navigation. When I see something I like, I rush to buy it. I think it’s a great deal at the time. But afterwards, I either don’t have time to go or I find I don’t need it anymore, so I often waste it. In addition, the cost of online shopping Some expenses often exceed the monthly budget,” said Ms. Hu, an office worker. “This phenomenon is very common among young female colleagues in our company.”
According to Zhang Yuqing, a Ph.D. from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. “When people cannot control their consumption desires, but enter a state of shopping addiction and force themselves to consume, this is not just a kind of over-consumption, but a kind of pathological shopping disorder, which is widely defined abroad as 'Compulsive shopping behavior'. Psychologically speaking, it is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder and requires certain guidance and treatment. The definition of pathological shopping disorder and excessive consumption requires appropriate treatment according to professional psychiatric classification. "
Dong Yan, a psychology teacher at Renmin University, has her own opinion on this phenomenon: "There are three main reasons for distinguishing between shopaholic psychology and over-consumption. First, whether the income and expenditure are balanced. If you buy too much, you will not be able to make ends meet." Within the range, it is a matter of personal consumption concept. Secondly, it depends on whether the shopper is happy. Thirdly, whether it interferes with normal life. When a personal consumption concept evolves into a pathological consumption method, it will greatly interfere with it. Live a normal life. If these three conditions are met, then you need to face this problem."
Over-consumption is a tendency to buy some goods beyond one's ability under the trend of desire. What a shopaholic buys is not the goods, but the emotion. What he pays attention to is the behavior and process of "buying". After buying back, I often have thoughts of guilt and regret, but I can’t help myself from buying again. This symptom is basically consistent with the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual: Mental Disorders" formulated by the American Psychiatric Association. Ms. Hu's consumption is unreasonable, and excessive expenditure is excessive consumption. Rebecca often struggled with herself between "buying" and "not buying", and she couldn't help but buy the next trophy amid regret and self-blame.
The product of modern lifestyle and stress
Shopaholics are divided into impulsive consumers who lack self-control, over-consumers who turn from hobbies into addictions, and passive consumers who are "soft-eared" There are six types of shopaholics: the consumption type, the avoidant consumption type who reduces the feeling of emptiness, the brand-name type who only loves famous stores, and the crazy bargaining type who buys in large quantities because they are greedy for cheap. Each type of shopaholic has different reasons, but the root causes are similar.
In the film, Rebecca once said: "Life is not beautiful to begin with. Shopping can make my life beautiful. But after shopping, life returns to its original state, so I can only continue to Shopping can lead to a happy life, and this is also a way for me to vent.” In response to this symptom, Dong Yan said: “There are three reasons for shopping addiction. First, it is a way of venting for people with high pressure in life.
When some people are under great pressure at work and have nowhere to vent, getting pleasure from a large number of swiping cards and shopping becomes one of their outlets. Therefore, introverts are more likely to suffer from pathological shopping disorder than extroverts. , because they seldom talk to others and cannot integrate into the group, they can only choose this way to relieve stress. Secondly, this is the next extreme form of herd behavior in this day and age. Shopaholics often blindly follow the trend and want to own what others buy immediately, resulting in them often buying things they don’t need. ”
Zhang Yuqing pointed out: “The emergence of some shopaholics is related to Internet addiction. Some shopaholics are addicted to online shopping. The dazzling array of products are displayed in exquisite pictures by merchants and can be delivered to their doorsteps with just one click, stimulating their excessive consumption. This kind of addiction is based on Internet addiction, which makes people addicted and unable to extricate themselves. ”
The fast-paced life and endless shopping methods have led to an increasing number of people suffering from pathological shopping disorder in China in recent years. They release stress, seek pleasure and obtain satisfaction in shopping, but few people can. Realize that this is a psychological disease that requires attention and treatment.
There are ways to cure shopaholics
Reducing stress is the first step for shopaholics. Only by understanding the source of stress and finding a method that suits you can you fundamentally solve this problem, improve communication with friends around you, and resolve anxiety and confusion in a timely manner. This will reduce the chance of a shopaholic shopping alone in the mall.
Dong Yan pointed out: “The method based on behaviorism is a good approach. Try to leave the house with as little money as possible by creating a shopping plan for shopaholics. And for people with more severe symptoms, it is recommended to communicate more with psychological counselors. You can formulate an agreement with the counselor, complete one stage of the agreement and then formulate the next agreement. "Shoppers can also choose to travel together and let people around them urge them to consume rationally.
In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy can also be used, that is, to change the way of looking at problems. By changing the "shopping" of shopaholics The idea that "it can vent the pressure in the heart, bring the glory needed, and satisfy the inner desires" can reasonably change the thinking of shopaholics. One way abroad is a mutual aid group, where a group of people with the same problems gather regularly every week. Together, we talk about our confusions, help and encourage each other to find a correct way to heal. It is through the supervision of public opinion and self-awareness that Rebecca auctions a large number of items she bought, actively participates in mutual aid meetings, and finally obtains the prize. It liberated the soul and got rid of this bad habit.