Shopping's dark side: The compulsive buyer
Friday, July 18, 2008 - 18:35
in Psychology & Sociology
As mental health professionals debate the problematic behavior, clinics spring up. IN A LAND where citizens are implored to shop as an expression of patriotism, where little girls can attend summer camp cruising the stores of a mall, and where the average credit-card holder is $1,673 behind in payments, buying things in the United States is more than a hunt for daily provisions. It's a national pastime, a form of therapy, a means of self-expression.