Serious Shopping: Psychotherapy and Consumerism

The phenomenon of addictive shopping is a popular subject for the media. The stereotype of those who indulge in it - women who are affluent and slightly bored does not present an accurate picture. In this book the contributors, from either personal or theoretical perspectives, convey something of the desperation of the shopping experience. This book examines all aspects of the shopping experience, including shop lifting and shopping as a way of dealing with death anxiety. As with other addictive behaviors, addictive shopping is both functional and dysfunctional. There is, however, a distinction, for shopping is an expected and an acceptable activity. Yet, for the person who seeks in it a salve for emotional pain, the magic doesn't work: the brave attempt to heal the self fails.