Money Worshipping Disorders
Money Worshipping Disorders place a disproportionate amount of importance on money:
earning it, saving it and spending it. People with these money disorders typically believe that
more money will lead to happiness, safety and self-worth. The six disorders in this category are
hoarding, unreasonable risk taking, pathological gambling, workaholism, overspending and
compulsive buying disorder.
5. Hoarding is an example of a positive behavior – saving – taken to unhealthy extremes.
This disorder can involve hoarding money and/or objects. Those that hoard money are
typically underspenders that keep themselves emotionally poor. Those that hoard
objects tend to be overspenders or compulsive buyers, but they enjoy the thrill of
accumulating the stockpile as opposed to the act of buying or spending. Compulsive
hoarders are emotionally attached to their possessions – regardless of the financial
value. The accumulated objects become stand-ins for love, affection or whatever is
missing in that person’s life.
6.Unreasonable Risk Taking is when we put our financial well-being at unnecessary risk in
the pursuit of large, but unlikely, gains – like taking your rent money or your child’s
college fund to the racetrack. Gambling and day trading in the stock market are two
common forms of risk taking. Other forms of risk taking include Spending an anticipated bonus or salary increase before you receive it. And writing large checks before the money is actually in the bank account hoping the
bank cashes it at a later time.
7. Pathologic Gambling is excessive risk taking exaggerated to an especially destructive
extreme. People with a pathological gambling disorder typically gamble to make
themselves feel better or do it as an escape from their problems. They often hide their
gambling from others and may engage in illegal acts to help fund their gambling.
Approximately 2 percent of the population is considered pathological gamblers.
8. Workaholism is when people become so involved in work that they have little time to
invest in family life, child rearing, leisure, and even sleep. As a result of this, most
experience problems with their marriage, anxiety, depression, job stress, job
dissatisfaction and health problems. Workaholics typically believe that more money will make them and their family happier, prove their self-worth, and make them a valuable,
capable, lovable human being. They typically feel better about themselves at work than
any other part of their life. They have better-quality relationships there; feel more
competent, in control, successful, comfortable and more part of things at work than
anywhere else.
9. Overspending is when people try to achieve feelings of safety, comfort, affection and
wholeness by spending excessively on themselves and others. Many overspenders
report financial flashpoints where giving and receiving gifts seemed to transform a
relationship. Another common flashpoint is where they experienced deprivation in their
childhood – perhaps being teased for not having things or the “right” things such as
clothes. Later on in life, they refuse to let their children go through the same thing so
they overspend on various items for them.
10. Compulsive Buying Disorder is overspending taken to the extreme. People with a
compulsive buying disorder are constantly consumed by money worries and to help
them cope with this problem, ironically, they shop. They lose control of their spending.
Shopping is like an addictive drug for them, creating an enormous high while doing it,
then the hangover provides the emotional crash. This disorder can lead to excessive
debt, financial strain, bankruptcy, relationship problems, divorce, problems
concentrating at work, and, in some cases, legal complications. Almost 5 percent of the
population has a compulsive buying disorder and of those with this disorder, 75 percent
of them are women.
