Paul Albanese of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, author of "The Personality Continuum and Consumer Behavior," classifies shopping behaviors as normal, neurotic, primitive and psychotic.

"Normal consumers spend less than they earn and save for future purchases they cannot afford in the future, while neurotic shoppers spend an excessive amount of time shopping, often not buying anything," Albanese said in a statement.

Albanese finds compulsive shoppers usually fall within the primitive, or impulsive, personality type, while psychotic personalities go overboard in spending and usually wind up having serious financial and legal problems.