Factors Influencing Compulsive Consumption - Literature review Example

Factors influencing compulsive consumption Compulsive consumption occurs when an individual develops a strong obsession with shopping for materials that are not immediately needed nor are basic and necessary. The development of compulsive consumption has been attributed to psychological disorders that goes beyond the normal consumerism and affects the normal development of an individual. Individuals with such kind of behaviour are obsessed by shopping and develop a stronger urge to go shopping even when there is no need for the same. Currently, over 18 million Americans are suffering from compulsive consumption, which has spiralled out of control and affected the normal lifestyle of individual. However, the current social responsibilities has forced marketers to study the general behaviour of consumers in an attempt to determine how such compulsive behaviours determine sales and performance of products in the market. In this paper, a review of literature on compulsive consumption shall be undertaken to determine the factors that affects its development in individuals and how it affects the normal lifestyle of individuals. Introduction The development of compulsive behaviour has remained a vital area of study for psychologists as they attempt to determine the mental capabilities of such individuals. However, compulsive consumption has moved from being a psychological issue to a business marketing concept that stem from the buying behaviour of customers. Compulsive consumption arises when a customer develops an insatiable demand for products leading to increase expenditure and purchases. Such individuals buy products at an impulsive rate and this result into the acquisition of products which are not needed or those that the buyer has in excess. A number of factors influence the development of such behaviours in individuals and these vary from peer and gender pressures to psychological environments and marketing approaches. Factors influencing compulsive buying Marketing increases the performance of products in the market and this is attributed to increased purchases as the buyers are motivated to buy the products. However, motivating compulsive consumer to increase the purchase of products well beyond their purchasing power exposes them to psychological challenges. Compulsive consumption exists in different forms and depend on the area of marketing that the behaviour has been developed. Some individuals have a higher demand and compulsive behaviour towards consumption of bank credits and this exposes them to insurmountable credit beyond their financial capabilities. Compulsive consumption differs from impulsive purchasing as the latter is motivated by external stimuli that are within the control of an individual. Compulsive consumption on the other hand results is insatiable and this makes the process repetitive despite acquiring what the consumer needed in the first place. Though a marketing and business aspect, compulsive consumption has been handled in a number of psychological literatures that have attempted to determine how the behaviour is determined by the environment (Brougham, Jacobs-Lawson, Hershey & Trujillo, 2011). The emergence of compulsive consumption can be traced to the time of Plato as a number of philosophical discourses describe the challenges that such individuals have faced in adapting to their behaviours. Plato, Aristotle and a number of economic articles have traced the impacts of compulsive consumptions on individuals and how these behaviours have been promoted by uncontrolled marketing behaviours (Neuner, Raab & Reisch, 2005). The determination of the factors that affect compulsive consumptions has been associated with personal behaviours and traits. Placing a higher value on materials also increases an individual’s behaviour and this increases the chances of compulsive consumption as such feelings can only be managed by acquiring the physical products (Benmoyal-Dauphie & George Moschis, 2010). Most researchers have focused on fantasy behaviour of compulsive buyers to determine how this is possible to motivate individuals to acquire goods they may not emergent needs for. Through fantasy, compulsive consumers who are undergoing a challenging psychological moment have the ability to escape from their challenges and the negative feelings associated with them. Fantasy also increases the feeling of success and social acceptance in individuals and this motivates them to acquire products, which are not essential to them. By failing to meet the safety and security needs, most individuals with the psychological problem of fantasizing relies on material goods to improve their mental and self-esteem. By engaging in compulsive buying, most customers reduce their tension and psychological challenges that they are facing. Compulsive buying has thus been associated with the need to eliminate anxiety in an individual and increase satisfaction, which is acquired through the material products. Roberts and Pirog (2004) however views compulsive buying as a way of achieving personal gains as opposed to a way of reducing anxiety and tension. In most individuals with low self-esteem, acquiring physical objects increases their feeling of self-importance and this is achieved through compulsive behaviours. Being driven by extrinsic needs is associated with the materialistic approach in such individuals which increases compulsive behaviours, consumption and buying (Joireman, Kees & Sprott, 2010). The goals that place emphasis on extrinsic rewards and the approval by others based on material possession are associated with this behaviour. In women for example, impression plays a key role and this leads to the development of compulsive behaviours and the acquisition of material products like clothing to impress and improve the social status before the eyes of others. In this situation, the compulsive behaviour is associated with the need to boost individual moral and provide emotional boost through increasing the social class before the eyes of other people (Burnett, Catherine, Kathrin & Sarah-Jayne, 2011). Other factors that are associated with environmental pressures and the need to conform to a certain social setting have also been attributed to the development of compulsive behaviours. The factors include the socio-cultural factors that include the culture of an individual, the commercial environment and the advertising approaches adopted by organisations. Such approaches can lay emphasis on material possessions and ideals, which can influence people especially youths to develop compulsive behaviours. The psychology behind advertising is motivated by harping on the material benefits achieved from material benefits and these results into stressing the need for material achievements in the ads. As a result, advertising plays an important role in manipulation the emotions of people and increasing their persuasions. This creates room for the development of irrational consumption behaviours, which are; incline towards developing compulsive and obsessive behaviours. Shoham and Brencic (2003) attributes the development of some compulsive behaviours on other social factors such as gender, age, impulsive behaviours and the tendency to purchase products not needed increases the development of compulsive behaviours. By correlating compulsive buying with an improvement in social status, compulsive consumers develop a behaviour that escalates beyond their control and leads into a psychological condition that affects behaviour. Gender has been associated with compulsive buying for a long time and this has led to the labelling of women as shopping maniacs (Chaplin & Deborah, 2007). Women prefer to acquire new and trendy products even if such products will not add value to their lives. Clothing and fashion is a challenge to women as they seek to satisfy an insatiable need thus pushing them to compulsive consumption. By buying clothes and foot ware to meet the needs beyond their control, women accumulate a large pool of clothes and fashion accessories, which are rarely used due to their abundance. However, this does not prevent them from venturing further into the consumption craze as they are pushed by a compulsive behaviour like disorder. Age is also attributed to increased compulsive consumption due to the increased competition that is witnessed within the different groups. Youths are more exposed to compulsive disorders as they seek to attain a specific social class and acquire recognition and respects witnessed by their colleagues. This has been associated with increased competition among youths and teenagers in colleges, psychologists have related the increase expense among the youths to development of compulsive consumption behaviours (Gwin, James & Carlos, 2005). Phau and Woo (2008) argues that close proximity to large commercial buildings, shopping malls and centres also increases the development of compulsive behaviour among individuals. This is more prevalent among low class individuals who seek to reduce their tension by buying in shopping malls frequented by members of a higher social class. The environment and social grouping has also been associated with compulsive consumption as argued by Neuner et al (2005) that attributes increase in psychological spending habits to exposure to the western consumerism. This is common in less affluent and developing countries where their citizens who have been exposed to the western culture become over snobbish and developing a compulsive behaviour towards consumerism (Litt & Baba, 2011). Hoyer and MacInnis (2007) blame the approaches used in marketing to the high rise in compulsive consumption behaviour among the youths, women and citizens from less affluent cultures that have been exposed to western consumerism. Sales and advertising approaches have increased their enticing abilities and this is more prevalent in in-stores, displays and street sales individuals who search for clients. Easy access to credit and the incentives adopted by banks like reduced interest rates has also been associated with compulsive consumption in credits (Manolis, James & Vishal, 2008). According to studies done on women, the consumption of cosmetics and gifts increases if the salesperson is convincing enough and has the ability to attract the buyers to their products. By appreciating the women and the youths, studies have showed that their compulsive behaviours increases and this graduates into a psychological disorder. Such appreciations increase the self-esteem in the buyers and this motivates them to engage in the compulsive buying behaviours to acquire the same feeling of social relevance. The motivation to buy according to Hoyer and MacInnis (2007) is the increased attention and appreciation from the sales team (Phau & Woo, 2008). These include the use of enticing coupons, provision of reduced prices; free samples to motivate the consumers and the buy one get one free initiative that has been extensively employed in stores (Pechman, Linda, Sandra & Frances, 2005). Shopping and buying of products has today witnessed significant changes and this has contributed to increased compulsive behaviour among consumers. By providing credit card and other plastic and online-based payment methods, shopping has been enhanced and this has contributed to the development of compulsive behaviour. With credit card, the use of physical money has been eliminated as buyers use the magnetic stripped card to buy their products from physical and online stores (Black, 2007). By improving the payment method and providing other convenient options, stores have continued to influence the shopping behaviours of their customers. In most instances, online or card shoppers are provided with incentives and gift to motivate them to acquire the products. This results into a situation where people acquire products that they do not need in order to benefit from the incentive provided by the organization. The fierce competition among credit card providers across the globe has increased the use and presence of this payment method, a factor that has contributed to compulsive buying in a special way. By increasing access to cash, buyers have been enabled to acquire their products from the comfort of their credit cards without carrying the actual cash as witnessed in traditional shopping (Hoyer & MacInnis, 2007). This removes the cash barriers that has impeded people from engaging in compulsive behaviours and enhanced the whole process that affects the psychological behaviour of the customers. According to research by Parks and Burns (2007), credit card contributed to increased expenditure on fashion goods that are not essential on an individual’s life. Irrational card usage in the United Kingdom and beyond is thus associated with increased development of compulsive consumption and behaviours. By correlating compulsive buying with an improvement in social status, compulsive consumers develop a behaviour that escalates beyond their control and leads into a psychological condition that affects behaviour (Roberts & Roberts, 2012). Studies on child growth have also associated with environment in which an individual is raised to the snobbish behaviours which increase compulsive consumption. Children raised in a highly competitive environment grow with the competition and material wealth in their mind. As a result, the attempt to outsmart each other by acquiring products which adds no value for the sake of showing off and staying on top of the game. This kind of behaviour and environment increases the growth of compulsive behaviours which may take a longer time to eliminate. Even though it is positive in the marketing context, continuation of such behaviours has forced people into huge debts that have affected their financial and psychological health. Individual’s that place emphasis on material possession as a demonstration of their class and status also develop compulsive consumption behaviours. in such a scenario, increased acquisition of material wealth increases their self-gratification and this continues beyond their control graduating into compulsive behaviours. Compulsive consumption is therefore associated with the environment and the nature of competition that exists. This creates a psychological and mental situation that is related to obsessive and compulsive disorders which results into over indulgence in impulsive buying traits. Placing a higher value on materials also increases an individual’s behaviour and this increases the chances of compulsive consumption as such feelings can only be managed by acquiring the physical products. Most researchers have focused on fantasy behaviour of compulsive buyers to determine how this is possible to motivate individuals to acquire goods they may not emergent needs for (Roberts & Jones, 2001). Through fantasy, compulsive consumers who are undergoing a challenging psychological moment have the ability to escape from their challenges and the negative feelings associated with them. Fantasy also increases the feeling of success and social acceptance in individuals and this motivates them to acquire products which are not essential to them. By failing to meet the safety and security needs, most individuals with the psychological problem of fantasizing relies on material goods to improve their mental and self-esteem. References Benmoyal-Dauphie, S & George P Moschis 2010, “Effects of Family Structure and Socialization on Materialism: A Life Course Study in France,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 18, 53–69. 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