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Shopping Addiction Essay

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What Shopping Can Lead To
What is shopping? Is shopping something we do for fun, for fashion, or to make us happy? Is shopping in our culture? Is shopping something we have learned from our parents, growing up? Shopping can be defined in many ways, but when does shopping become a problem? In “Shopping Spree, or Addiction” by Heather Hatfield, MD, she says “shopping can be one of America’s favorite past-times, but shopping can also lead to a self-destructive addiction that will cause financial disaster (1-2).” I’ll be going over two main factors, credit cards and the mall environment, that cause a shopping addiction, along with the type of illness, depression, that also causes a shopping addiction. I’ll also talk about the treatment …show more content…

Take BMW for instance, their slogan is “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” This slogan tricks people into thinking that if they don’t own a BMW then whatever car they do own is not good enough. Other catchy slogans include Levi jeans, “You Walk a Little Taller in Levis” or Visa “Everywhere You Want to be.” Companies use these tactics to persuade people to spend and spend and spend, attracting the shopalcholics until individuals can’t spend any more. Nine million people in America suffer from shopoholism, and it’s more common in women. There have been studies conducted to see if addictions are genetic. “About 10%-15% may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior” says Ruth Engs, MD (quoted in Hatifield 1). As reported by Dr. Adrienne Backer “There is a strong link between compulsive shopping and an inadequate maternal relationship (quoted in Futrelle).” Frequently the mother was depressed or absent emotionally causing the daughter to develop a low self-esteem, resulting in the daughter turning to shopping to feel happy (Futrelle). In reality people who have a shopping addiction are covering up a low self-esteem. Dr. Louise Chang who is a physician at Grady Memorial hospital states that the endorphins, dopamine, and naturally occurring opiate receptors get switched on in the brain, and people will feel a high that makes them feel good about themselves for that short amount of time while shopping. The causes of addictions and why addicts will continue

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