The Needed Addiction Addiction to Consumption and Luxury: Causes, Mechanisms, and Ways Out

Hardly any addictive behavior is growing as rapidly in modern Western society as consumer addiction.

No surprise—because it is economically intended, even required. And that is exactly what makes it so dangerous. The consequences of consumer addiction (and its variation, luxury addiction) can be devastating—both economically and socially.

This book examines consumer addiction from both an economic and psychological perspective. It highlights causes, symptoms, and individual risk factors. Building on this, it develops detailed characteristics to promote personal solutions and strong consumer competence. The latter is essential for living healthily and freely within a consumerist societal system.

Dependence on consumption is embedded in the economic system—yet the personal consequences are for us to determine. This is a book about a hidden but omnipresent problem: consumer addiction is the “necessary addiction.”

• Psychologists, therapists, and coaches


• Sociologists, economists, cultural scientists, and marketing professionals


• Individuals with excessive buying behavior or dependencies on status symbols, as well as their relatives