Psychology of a miser

[intotheblack]

What trauma would cause someone to become a miser? 
a miser is someone who hoards money, but behaves like they have nothing and say they can’t afford to buy things. They live frugally spending the bare minimum, they wear the same clothes and don’t make any big purchases.. Even though they had a high paying, successful and progressive career.   

[Nahm]

@intotheblack

Fear, imo, not trauma. More deeply, identification as a changing thing, and aiming via reactionary thinking, to prevent change.

If the trauma perspective intuitively persists, look for a change in childhood which parents wanted, but kid did not. Changing towns, schools, and perhaps most significantly the intensity of the change of environments. A child moved from urban to rural or vice versa. A “way to control change”, is never to again. 

[Preety_India]

I think a mindset rooted in the combo of deep scarcity, narcissism, greed and fear would be like that. 

I found that many narcissists were frugal. 

 

[intotheblack]

Fear is definitely a part of it, I thought maybe something in childhood would have caused them to be like that.  Being a miser gives control, so I think it is like a side behaviour of a personality disorder or deeper wound.  I think there is narcissism there but could also be ‘schizoid personality disorder’

Edited March 26, 2021 by intotheblack

[Logan]

@intotheblack I am trying to overcome these same issues.

For a personal example, I was abused and neglected growing up and developed scarcity mindset (leading to frugality)

I have symptoms of Paranoid Personality Disorder & Avoidant Personality Disorder that I’m working on. 

My mom was alcoholic and feared we wouldn’t be able to pay the bills. She used my college fund to pay the rent. She would also drive me to my dads house under the influence, always speeding. We nearly got into several high speed accidents. I was also scammed and my dad berated me to feel like a complete moron afterword. I was highly dysfunctional. I also had a very frugal uncle which may have influenced me as well, lol. Lastly, I watched a lot of apocalyptic movies and wilderness survival shows growing up. Having scarce resources is a main theme in these genres and planted the seed in me that I might have to ration my resources or whatever in real life.

Hope this helps you understand at least one perspective about “hoarding” money

Edited April 24, 2021 by Logan