RETAIL THERAPY

The environment around us is making people believe that anything is possible if you have will to spend. American psychologist Abraham Maslow lists human motivation as psychological safety,social esteem and slf actualisation needs in the order of importance. Shopping fills some of those self actualisation needs. It is good to occasionally reward yourself with a purchase, an easy way to ASSERT SELF WORTH,AND WE FEEL REASSURED ABOUT THAT, WE FEEL BETTER AND MORE CONFIDENT.
Anthropologist John Coppell once said"Money is congealed energy and releasing it realises life's possibilities.  Today  the Indian middle class has more buying power than before and many of them realising the possibilities that money can buy."
Retail therapy is a way of an offshoot of the heady consumerism that started in europe in the 1980's. As the economy grew rapidly and people succmbed to the pressure of modren life, they turned to spending for relief. India too is going through the motion of development and hence growing tendency among the populace to ape the European experience.
The new generation of consumerism with increased purchasing power would have a strong notion that money can buy anything even happiness.There is an increasing trend among people to go out and buy themselves anything to boost their energies and lift mood when feeling low,rewarding self,pampering self an easy way to feel important. but when the hangover end we feel sad to know we have already too many and fill the house with unnecessary items.