Compulsive buying and the Five Factor Model of personality: A facet analysis

Highlights

• This study examines compulsive buying and the Five Factor Model using NEO-PI-R.

• We compare facets and factors as a function of compulsive buying propensity.

• High propensity persons show high neuroticism and low conscientiousness and agreeableness.

• Anxiety, impulsiveness and vulnerability facets underlie compulsive buying risk.

• Low levels in dutifulness and self-discipline facets are linked to compulsive buying.

Abstract

In recent years, the broad dimensions of the Five-Factor Model have been an object of an increasing interest in the compulsive buying field. Nevertheless, the absence of studies that analyse the FFM facets in compulsive buyers is surprising. This study, employing the NEO-PI-R, intends to assess whether there are differences in both facets and broad traits, in three groups with low (n = 792), moderate (n = 456), and high (n = 117) compulsive buying propensities. The results confirm that the high propensity group presents the highest significant levels in neuroticism and the lowest in conscientiousness and agreeableness. Whereas all neuroticism and conscientiousness’ facets establish significant differences among the groups (the largest correspond to anxiety and impulsivity, and dutifulness and self-discipline, respectively), only some significant differences for agreeableness are established (namely, straightforwardness, altruism, trust, and modesty). Finally, even though there are no differences between groups in extraversion and openness factors, extraversion’s excitement-seeking, positive emotions and assertiveness facets, and openness’ aesthetics and ideas facets do establish significant differences. Generally speaking, these findings advocate the need to analyse facets, in addition to the broad factors, in the effort to advance our understanding about the elements that make up the personality structure of the compulsive buyer.

Introduction

Over the past several years, compulsive buying has emerged as a serious problem that has aroused growing interest among members of the scientific community. Compulsive buying has been conceptualised as a repetitive and excessive purchasing pattern which develops into a primary response to negative feelings, providing immediate short-term gratifications, but which ultimately results in harmful consequences for the individual and others (O’Guinn & Faber, 1989). The many negative consequences stemming from this phenomenon (financial difficulties, and psychological distress, for instance), jointly with its increasing prevalence (Mueller et al., 2010), have turned the identification and analysis of variables contributing to the development of compulsive buying into a priority task in the researchers’ agenda.

Previous literature is consistent on the subject of personality playing a fundamental role in compulsive buying (e.g., Claes & Müller, 2011). Indeed, there are numerous studies demonstrating that compulsive buyers are characterised, to a greater extent than non-compulsive buyers, by personality determinants like anxiety (e.g., Williams, 2012), depression (e.g., Mueller et al., 2010), materialism (e.g., Dittmar, 2005), and impulsivity (e.g., Black, Shaw, McCormick, Bayless, & Allen, 2012). Despite prior evidence showing important links between compulsive buying and an ample plethora of personal variables, far too little attention has been paid to the examination of this phenomenon in the framework of one of the models which, over the last few decades, has shown elevated empirical solidness and a growing heuristic value in the personality field: the Five Factor Model (FFM; Costa & McCrae, 1992).

The FFM is a hierarchical model that organises personality traits into five higher-order factors labelled neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and 30 lower-order facets (six for each factor). Beyond the undeniable usefulness of the FFM personality traits, analyses based on the 30 facets have emerged as a promising and fruitful research approach. To that effect, some authors have emphasised the need for finer-grained levels of analysis including both personality traits and facets because of the capability facets have for capturing unique personality information that would remain obscured in research focused exclusively on broad factors (e.g., Costa and McCrae, 1995, Paunonen and Ashton, 2001). Echoing this need, the Big-Five personality traits and their facets have recently been explored in relation with a variety of risk-health behaviours like alcoholism (e.g., McAdams & Donnellan, 2009), drug abuse (e.g., Terracciano, Löckenhoff, Crum, Bienvenu, & Costa, 2008), and pathological gambling (e.g., Bagby et al., 2007). Notwithstanding, it is surprising that there are no prior studies in which the compulsive buying phenomenon has been analysed in the light of the FFM facets. It is precisely in this context where this study proposes to advance our understanding about compulsive buying by elucidating which specific facets, in addition to broad personality traits, create a high risk for its development.

In reviewing the literature about the relationships between the FFM personality traits and compulsive buying, it should be noted that the different studies have often provided inconsistent results. In their seminal study, Mowen and Spears (1999) demonstrated that compulsive buying maintained negative links with emotional stability and conscientiousness, and a positive link with agreeableness. Verplanken and Herabadi (2001) found that impulsive buying was negatively related with conscientiousness and autonomy, and positively related with extraversion. In a recent study (Wang & Yang, 2008), it was confirmed that, among the Big-Five personality traits, conscientiousness was the only trait that established significant differences between compulsive buyers and non-compulsive buyers. Despite the lack of consensus detected across studies, which may be due to various reasons (the type of sample used, FFM personality traits measures, for instance), it is also true that, in a recent review of the literature about the links between the FFM broad dimensions and compulsive buying, Claes and Müller (2011) concluded that this phenomenon seems to be driven by neuroticism, and low levels of conscientiousness. However, the role of the agreeableness, extraversion, and openness personality traits in compulsive buying is still unclear. In any case, and given that in similar areas (e.g., pathological gambling, substance abuse) some authors have chosen the analysis of facets (e.g., Bagby et al., 2007, Terracciano et al., 2008) to obtain a truer and more realistic depiction of the specific FFM components that appear to characterise these disorders, it seems there is clearly an urgent and justifiable need to bring that same approach to the field of compulsive buying.

Accordingly, the principal goal of the present study is to determine which facets – without overlooking the broad domains in the FFM – make up the specific personality configuration underlying the propensity to develop compulsive buying. More precisely, the purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to explore the personality profile – based on both broad domains and facets – in people with low, moderate, and high propensities for compulsive buying. Secondly, to clarify if significant differences exist in each and every one of the Big-Five personality traits and facets between the distinct groups (derived from a general population sample) according to their compulsive buying propensity.