Compulsive buying behaviour : re-evaluating its dimensions and screening

Maccarrone-Eaglen, A; Schofield, P

Abstract

Despite the significant research in the consumer behavior literature on compulsive buying behavior (CBB), there is still no general agreement about the dimensionality or diagnostic screening of the disorder. Previous studies have identified two principal dimensions: compulsivity and impulsivity, although more recent strands of theory characterize CBB with reference to loss of self-control and behavioral addiction. This study challenges the impulsive-compulsive paradigm by validating a new model with compulsive and self-control impaired spending dimensions. The model more closely reflects the disorder’s ego-dystonic character, routed in an anxiety-based reactive mechanism with uncontrollable buying and an inability to rationalize the behavior as its consequences. The study also develops and cross-validates a new seven-item CBB screening tool, using a comparative analysis with three existing screeners and an independent sample. The findings indicate that compulsive buying results from both compulsive and self-control impaired impulsive elements which are characteristic of behavioral addiction.

Citation

Maccarrone-Eaglen, A., & Schofield, P. (2017). Compulsive buying behaviour : re-evaluating its dimensions and screening. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 16(5), 463-473. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1652

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 17, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Apr 24, 2017
• Publication Date: Apr 24, 2017
• Deposit Date: Mar 20, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 24, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Consumer Behaviour
• Print ISSN: 1472-0817
• Electronic ISSN: 1479-1838
• Publisher: Wiley
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 463-473
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1652
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cb.1652
• Related Public URLs: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1479-1838