Does Personality Affect Compulsive Buying? An Application of the Big Five Personality Model

Abstract

Compulsive Buying (CB) is ‘a consumer’s tendency to be preoccupied with buying that is revealed through repetitive buying and a lack of impulse control’ (Ridgway et al., 2008). Although Kraepelin (1915) and Bleuler (1976) described this phenomenon many years ago, it was the study of Faber et al. (1987) which increased the interest in that topic. For more than 20 years empirical studies have been conducted to increase our knowledge about this maladaptive consumer behavior. The main focus of these studies has been on identifying the antecedents and consequences of CB. First of all, CB is viewed as a method of coping with life’s challenges (Scherhorn, 1990), low self-esteem (d’Astous et al., 1990; Hanley & Wilhelm, 1992; O’Guinn & Faber, 1989) and/or internal psychological tension (Valence et al., 1988). It is also seen as a process whereby the consumer wants to escape from negative feelings, stress and anxiety (Edwards, 1993; Ergin, 2010; O’Guinn & Faber, 1989). Buying a product causes release of the internal tension. At the same time however feelings of guilt and frustration appear as the person could not control the inner drive to buy an unneeded product. The consumer is caught in a vicious circle.