The Psychology of Money (II)

People can be addicted to different things--e.g., alcohol,drugs,certain foods, or even television. People who have such an addiction are compulsive; i.e., they have an unusually powerful psychological need that they feel they must satisfy. According to psychologists, many people are compulsive spenders; they feel they must spend money. This compulsion, like most others, is irrational-impossible to explain reasonably. For example, most people look for sales, low prices, and discounts in order to save money. This is “healthy” bargain hunting. But compulsive bargain hunters often buy things that they don’t need just because the merchandise is cheap. When they can buy something-anything-for less than other people, they feel that they are winning a kind of game. For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, charge accounts are even more exciting than money. In other words, compulsive spenders feel that with credit, they can do anything. Their pleasure in spending enormous amounts is actually greater than the pleasure that they get from the things they buy.
Psychologists often use a method called "behavior therapy" to help individuals solve their personality problems. In the same way, they can help people who feel that they have problems with money: They give them "assignments". If a person is a compulsive spender, for instance, a therapist might teach him self-discipline in this way : On the first day  of his therapy, he must go into a store, stay five minutes, and then leave. On the second day, he should stay for ten minutes and try something on. On the third day, he stays for fifteen minutes and asks the salesclerk a question but does not buy anything. Soon he will learn that nothing bad will happen to him if he doesn't buy anything, and he can solve the problem of his compulsive buying.