Originally Posted by
AlwysConflicted 
very interesting post, I agree that in order to address greed one must first address content however it got me thinking in your next paragraph how very similar greed is to addictions or addictive behaviours..As you say with hoarders and gambling addicts they chase after more and more but never feel that it is enough.. Someone who is greedy also expresses in a similar way an excessive desire for more than is needed whether to do with food, money, possessions etc..
What drives a person to feel the need to have more more more. A sense of inadequacy springs to mind or low self esteem with those who place their value and sense of self worth in material things? I've always kind of felt that those who show off the most are most likely the most insecure as they place so much emphasis on what they have which determines their levels of confidence rather than on who they are as a person..
Still just speculating but as with shopping addicts maybe the accumulation of new things gives them a certain 'high' or dopamine response.. Basically I guess what i'm trying to get at is even in those whose behaviours seem shallow and selfish maybe they too are suffering in similar ways to other addicts however with no means of help as im assuming most don't see it as a problem...
When you have a more obvious addiction you can seek help and treat it and learn to find the underlying causes which you can begin to address..
For others who share similar traits with addiction like needing more and more and more I'm guessing they don't really see it as an issue which needs to be addressed/don't recognize the underlying symptoms such as low self esteem etc...
All speculation haha but your post got me thinking! What do you think? Can even greediness be classified as addictive?
For me at least I've always had quite an addictive personality and have come to learn that you can become addicted to people, to headache pills, to tv series. To anything you do or take excessively that interfers negatively in your life..
Sorry what did you mean by MIL? How do you manage your MIL'S hoarding? I used to watch the programme on tv which really opened my eyes to the distress and emotional depth associated with hoarding and I don't know what the reasons are for hoarding, do they develop attatchments to their things? Does it act as their sort of comfort blanket? Is it similar to obsessive compulsive disorders? It must be very difficult...
When I was in rehab I shared a room with a woman who had quite a severe gambling addiction. She had lost everything willing to put her house and everything she had on the line to fulfill her gambling needs - much the same in a way as me putting my health on the line or any addict which when taken to the max is at risk of losing everything they hold dear..
In that sense all addictions, whatever the outlet is are all quite similar..
Sorry for long post just find this a really interesting subject!
MIL is mother in law and how do we manage her hoarding? Oh boy! Well, she is not really one to be 'managed' by anyone...(haha), but she tries to give some of her 'stuff' to us and I have to credit my husband for being very blunt/honest with her about where he stands. In fact, it amazes me how blunt he is with her and yet they remain on good terms. He just sets very firm boundaries with her. Now, we do like to visit her house? Not unless we have to. She is not as severe as the cases you see on tv, though.
Yes, I think what drives a lot of these various behaviors we are discussing is that sense of inadequacy, lack, low self esteem,abandonment issues,and just trying to somehow make oneself feel better, etc. For example, why would someone want to go get high if they already feel good? What drives a person to seek out that fix? We know the answers to that.
Yes, for some it is over spending. Buying new objects; new clothes. I do believe it does give a dopamine high of sorts for some to go out and get the next stylish outfit or whatever. And if their pocket book can handle it they may not experience a down side to that. But if they are living beyond their means they are only creating more stress in their life and in no way simplifying...which takes them farther from the peace they want but don't exactly know how to get. So even though they may have a really great new outfit, they may not even be able to FULLY enjoy it, whatever the case may be.
Similar thing to buying an RV, for example. Oh, that's a really great thing, right? But there are a lot of hidden costs and extra efforts required to maintain it, to haul it around, set it up, stock it, etc...takes more gas. The lists goes on. If it's worth all that effort to a person and they feel they get out of it what they want, fine. But, for a lot of folks they get into an RV and they find out years down the road they are not using it as much as they thought and not getting out of it in proportion to the effort it takes....guess that's why there are so many used RV's and boats for sale.
Yes, I think addiction, by its very nature is a greedy bugger. It takes more and more of the substance to get the same effect, right? It's chasing a high over and over and over like chasing after something but never really being satisfied.
But, (gladly) there are things that ARE satisfying. There are things that don't depreciate. There ARE things that you put into that give back in return and for every effort you make you reap the benefits. Such as practicing music, learning a worthwhile skill, spending quality time with loved ones, etc.