Object attachment in buying-shopping disorder

Abstract

Buying-shopping disorder (BSD) is considered a behavioral addiction that is characterized by poorly controlled spending of money for consumer goods in unnecessary quantities, beyond budget and without necessarily utilizing them for their intended purposes. Little is known about the role of emotional attachment to the purchased products in BSD. Given the relative lack of empirical data on object attachment in relation to BSD, this narrative review relies on patients' reports and studies concerning erroneous beliefs about possessions and the influence of materialism, identity problems and narcissistic deficits on symptom severity of BSD. The findings indicate that BSD is mainly driven by materialistic values endorsement and the desire to regulate negative feelings, poor self-esteem and identity confusion via purchasing material goods.