Acquisitiveness

Acquisitiveness is the trait and psychological need to be continuously acquiring new things. In its extreme forms it can manifest as compulsive shopping, shoplifting, or hoarding. This trait of acquiring things beyond actual physical needs can be the result of a sense of personal emptiness. It can also be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder where a person is attempting to soothe anxiety by acquiring possessions. If acquisitiveness reaches a point (such as shopping, stealing, or hoarding) where it is affecting a person's well-being or social relationships then intervention and therapy can be used to determine what the internal causes of the acquisitiveness are and how to treat them.