By Dr Sandra Scott Psychiatrist

Dr Scott explains how psychology works with our spending habits

Psychology influences the spending habits of virtually all of us.

It may not come into play when buying a loaf of bread in the weekly shop, but spending on anything that is not really necessary can often stem from a desire to pamper.

The psychological influence starts from the advertising stage, before we have entered any shops.

Many advertisements for luxuries focus on promoting a kind of lifestyle that is appealing, rather than any real or practical reason to buy the product in question.

This influence can lead us to buy items because we want to buy the idea or association.

In Western societies we are influenced to aspire to material wealth: it is considered good to be rich, to own things. And the media reinforce this belief.

For example, a girl does not necessarily just buy a designer dress, but also the good times assumed to go with it - because "I'm worth it".

This can lead us to make positive associations with buying expensive things. Hence it can provide a pick-me-up, especially if we are feeling down, and even if we do not need the item.

Retail therapy can be likened to comfort eating.

Huge spectrum

There is a significant enough proportion of the population who indulge in retail therapy for this to be a well recognised phenomenon among the general public.

But it is not a defined psychological term.

We all have the potential to indulge in it. Someone might be usually conservative but one day just say: "I don't care, I want to cheer myself up so I will pamper myself".

SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR BIG SPENDERS Do not leave the house with your credit cards Use cash always Check your balances at the end of each day Pamper yourself on something much smaller than usual - for example �5 on a special bar of soap, instead of �500 on shoes Write a shopping list before leaving the house and stick to it If you are tempted by an impulse buy, think about it for 24 hours first Discuss your shopping habits with someone who is a careful buyer and financially conservative, so that you have to justify any large purchases

But one person's idea of splashing out might be a fancy bubble bath, whereas another's might be to "max out" on all the credit cards.

Across the UK, as society becomes more affluent, our aspirations rise.

50 years ago, taking a day trip to Brighton was a big deal. Now, it has to be a trip abroad to be exciting.

Our ideas of how to pamper ourselves have changed - and so has our ability to indulge in pampering.

Not only has choice expanded, but also access to credit cards and other finance deals.

All of these have influenced the nature of our shopping.

Danger signs

Because many terms describing spending habits - such as "shopaholic" or "retail therapy" - have not been properly defined, they are open to interpretation.

It is not unusual to get pleasure from a shopping spree

This can raise difficulties when trying to work out whether or not you have a problem.

But a general rule is that if you frequently find yourself spending money:

• on objects that you do not need,
• on objects you do not have any use for or do not really want once they are home, but you keep anyway,
• that you cannot afford,
• and your behaviour is centred on the act of buying, rather than the items themselves,

Checking the habit

There are so many different paths to financial trouble that there is no one panacea.

Crucially, however, if you are in trouble you must:

• Recognise the problem
• Be sure you WANT to change
• Work out if the habit is doing you more harm than good (ie. is your bank balance suffering)

In order to change, you must ask yourself what the roots of your pathology are. For example, do you shop when you are anxious, down or to buy things to make yourself more physically attractive?

Shopping too much can be a symptom of something else. So you need to find an inroad into the issues behind it and find other workable solutions instead, which will replace the shopping and solve the underlying problem.

However, shopping is a part of life. We will always have to buy things.

But rather than associating the feel-good factor with nothing less than a spree on Bond Street, try associating it with other things.

You could learn, for example, to appreciate a supermarket's top-of-the-range products and achieve the same feeling.

It is possible to turn down the level of danger by learning how to appreciate the pleasurable effect of making purchases, but without spending more than you can afford.

If you can manage this, you can have a habit for a lifetime.

Dr Sandra Scott appeared in the programme Hey Big Spender!, broadcast on BBC One at 2100 GMT on Wednesday 28 January, 2004.

Dr Scott is a qualified psychiatrist. She has made appearances on such shows as Big Brother and Tomorrow's World, has been a consultant on shows such as I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here and has appeared in and contributed to a book based on the BBC series Confidence Lab.

The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation.