Introduction and Conceptual Foundations

This chapter introduces the topic of maladaptive consumption, and the following eleven chapters describe such behavior and the issues surrounding it. Virtually any product may be used in unintended ways and produce harmful consequences. In some cases, such use is purposeful. However, determining whether a particular consumption behavior is maladaptive is difficult. The same behavior may be adaptive for one user but produce adverse consequences for another. This chapter and the chapters that follow explore issues related to the definition, measurement, and treatment of such behavior.