Abstract
The appraisal of goal-related constructs, generally, and of personal projects (PP) in particular, is one of the most solid research paths with regard to subjective well-being and health. In the last few years, the appraisal of PP has been linked to such problems as excessive alcohol and marijuana use, but no study has been conducted in the field of compulsive buying (CB). In this study, using Little’s personal-projects-analysis (PPA) methodology, the differences in university students were analyzed in both broad domains (meaning, structure, community, efficacy, and stress) and specific appraisal dimensions in groups with low (n = 293), moderate (n = 191), and high (n = 41) compulsive-buying propensities. The results confirm that the high-propensity group presented the highest significant levels in the domain of stress and the lowest in efficacy, meaning, and structure. As to appraisal dimensions, the group with a high propensity to CB attained statistically lower appraisals in the dimensions of importance, enjoyment, self-identity, absorption, control, time adequacy, progress, and outcome of their projects; the appraisal of the level of stress, difficulty, and conflict increased as the level of involvement in CB increased. These findings have major implications for the design of prevention and intervention programs for this behavioral problem.
Highlights
1) that the group with a high risk for of compulsive buying (CB), when compared restshow of the groups, thatitit is is the group with a high risk of CB, when compared to the rest of the groups, and that it the one that perceives its projects as more stressing and with lower efficacy
The resulting profiles show that the lower the risk of CB the better is the ing and structure, the resulting profiles show that the lower the risk of CB the better is the appraisal of meaning and project organization
A finding that undoubtedly validates the starting hypothesis that underlies the design and implementation of this study: compulsive buyers are significantly different from non-compulsive buyers in their personal projects (PP) appraisals
Summary
From contemporary approaches, besides the basic tendencies represented by traits [2], plans, intentions, and purposes are the raw material of knowledge for a personality psychology that is interested in both personal (as well as collective) well-being and the exploration of the dynamics that underlie behavior
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