Obligation to buy

Kaufzwang ( . Fachspr Oniomanie , from ancient Greek ὤνιον = onios "Bought" and Mania = mania mania ;. English shopaholism ), even buying mania , spending spree or pathological Buy called, is a mental disorder among consumers that have become compulsive, episodic purchasing goods expresses. Kaufzwang is similar to pathological gambling or compulsory labor seen not as a disease but to the non-bonded dependencies or to obsessive-compulsive disorder ( ICD-10 expected F42.-), sometimes to the impulse control disorders (F63.-).

history

According to Max Nordau , the French doctor Valentin Magnan coined the term "oniomania" in 1892 in his psychiatric lectures . Magnan describes the addiction to shopping as a symptom of degeneration . Nordau elaborates similar thoughts in his book Entartung (1892):

The mania for collecting of contemporaries, the ramming of apartments with pointless junk [...] appears to us in a completely new light when we know that Magnan has noticed an irresistible urge to buy useless junk among the degenerate. […] The oniomaniac […] neither buys significant quantities of one and the same object as the paralytic, nor is he indifferent to the price. He just cannot pass by any junk without feeling the urge to acquire it.

The German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin included the term in his textbook in 1909.

Expression

For the psychiatric diagnosis it is essential that the aim of action is no longer the possession of the goods, but the liberation from an imperative urge through the act of buying itself. The pointlessness of acting is clear to the shopaholics, insofar as the compulsion to buy differs from consumerism . Efforts of will ("pulling together") do not help. If the person concerned is prevented from buying, withdrawal symptoms occur , for example in the form of vegetative arousal. Usually a certain group of goods (e.g. shoes) is preferred. The items bought far beyond the need are often stored unpacked in the apartment or even thrown away.

Estimates of the incidence of the disease in industrialized nations are around 1% of the population. According to a study in 1991 in the Federal Republic of Germany, 5% of the adult population in the West German and approx. 1% of the population in the East German federal states were “at high risk of shopping addiction”. Younger consumers were somewhat more “at risk of shopping addiction” than older ones, women more than men. A later study in 2006 by Stanford University showed a nearly balanced statistic with 48% men.

treatment

Treatment is usually based on behavior therapy and social support. Psychotropic drugs ( antidepressants ) are used regularly, especially in the United States . In Germany, compulsion to buy is not recognized as an illness; the most frequently chosen treatment method is to join a self-help group, where one is advised, cared for and understood by former sufferers.

The University Clinic Erlangen (Psychosomatic and Psychotherapeutic Department) has developed a special therapy and scientifically proven its effectiveness. Almost every second person affected got their buying behavior under control through group therapy. The therapy relies on substitute actions. Six to eight participants per group learn in twelve weekly therapy hours to find alternative occupations, such as doing sports or having a coffee with friends. These are a "valve" for them to live out their impulses. The compulsion to buy goes back to a disorder of the impulse control such as pyromania (pathological arson) and kleptomania (compulsive urge to steal). The purchase is often preceded by a feeling of excitement or tension, followed by deep satisfaction and happiness. For those affected, it is about the act of buying, not about what has been bought. Together with the therapists, the participants work on practical things: How can I handle money appropriately in the future? What do I do when I feel like buying again? This also includes paying cash (instead of with a credit card) - this is how you spend money more consciously.

causes

The compulsion to buy is based on a personality disorder which, in the opinion of most authors, is characterized by a reduced self-esteem . Negative feelings and frustrations should be suppressed.

In many cases there are deeper-rooted problems that manifest themselves in those affected in the uncontrolled buying of goods and services. Often, however, it is also special key events such as personal strokes of fate that throw people off track and drive them into a shopping addiction.

What all patients have in common are stressful thoughts and feelings, frustration or loneliness, which are supposed to be suppressed by the purchase of consumer goods. Compulsive buying and hoarding can also be associated with messie syndrome .

consequences

After a longer course, fears , feelings of guilt and depression appear , which are exacerbated by the inevitable financial problems. A compulsion to buy that often lasts for years and decades often has devastating consequences: mostly over-indebtedness or complete bankruptcy , social withdrawal and collecting mania. Some victims try to prevent this with illegal acts such as theft or embezzlement of money.

literature

• Sabine M. Grüsser, Carolin Thalemann, Ulrike Albrecht: Excessive, compulsive buying or “behavioral addiction ”? A case study . In: Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift . tape 116 , no. 5-6 . Springer, March 31, 2004, p. 201-204 , doi : 10.1007 / BF03040488 .
• Hans-Otto Schenk: Psychology in Commerce. Decision-making bases for trade marketing. 2nd Edition. Oldenbourg, Munich / Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-486-58379-3 [Excerpt: Falling for the temptations. economag.de ( Memento from January 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive )].
• Richard Geml, Hermann Lauer: Marketing and Sales Lexicon. 4th edition. Schäffer-Poeschel, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-7910-2798-2 .
• Astrid Mueller, Martina de Zwaan, James E. Mitchell: Pathological Buy: Cognitive-Behavioral Manual. Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag, Cologne 2008, ISBN 978-3-7691-0566-7 .

Web links

Wiktionary: shopping addiction  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Volker Faust: Kaufrausch - A modern impulse act?
• W. Stangl: Kaufsucht - in the following K. focus on shopping addiction in young people and a self-test

Individual evidence

1. ^ Max Nordau [1892]: Entartung, edited, commented and provided with an afterword by Karin Tebben, Berlin a. a .: De Gruyter 2013, p. 38.
2. ↑ Valentin Magnan: Psychiatrische Vorlesungen, Vol. 2/3: About the mental disorders of degenerate, trans. by Otto Möbius, Leipzig: Thieme, p. 12 f.
3. ^ Max Nordau [1892]: Entartung, edited, commented and provided with an afterword by Karin Tebben, Berlin a. a .: De Gruyter 2013, p. 37 f.
4. ^ Emil Kraepelin: Psychiatry. A textbook for students and doctors, Leipzig: Barth, p. 408 f.
5. ↑ Lucia A. Reisch, Gerhard Raab: On the emergence and spread of "Kaufsucht" "in Germany ( Memento of May 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). In: The Parliament. Supplement from politics and contemporary history. Quotation point section" Spread and development "
6. ↑ Consume until it hurts. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . July 21, 2008.
7. ↑ Müller, de Zwaan, Mitchel: Pathological Buying: Kognitiv-Behavioral Therapy Manual. Ärzteverlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-7691-0566-7 .
8. ↑ ^{a b} shopping addiction. When shopping becomes a disease. 2nd September 2015.

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !