In this study, we applied a qualitative approach in order to examine the beliefs of compulsive buyers and decipher the processes of compulsive buying. Participants were recruited via online postings, were classified as compulsive buyers using a screening questionnaire, and were asked to complete individual in-depth interviews. Content analysis was performed in order to identify participants' concepts and subconcepts regarding compulsive buying. To develop a model of compulsive buying we identified 21 subconcepts, which were synthesized into 6 concepts: deprivation, stimulation, response, compulsive spending, dysfunctional beliefs, and self-regulation. The results indicate that belief systems and self-regulation processes affect compulsive buying behaviors.

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The purpose of this study is to explore the adaptation experiences of North Korean youth defectors as consumers in South Korea. Collecting data from in-depth, face-to-face interviews, this study examined how seventeen North Korean youth defectors aged 19-26 years felt about their daily life as consumers. Qualitative content analysis revealed that the main sources of difficulties that the young defectors experienced while living in a consumer society had to do with their disillusionment with the "Korean dream," unfamiliarity with the market environment, perceptions of discrimination, confusion with the consumer culture, and the pressure to keep up with their South Korean peers. Based on these findings, the study identified the challenges that interfere with North Korean defectors' successful adaptation as consumers and proposed some practical implications.

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