Irrational purchasing behavior, known in marketing as compulsive buying, or oniomania, is an impulse control disorder where an individual feels an overwhelming need to buy, often without a real need. In most cases, this behavior exceeds the individual's available financial resources. Nowadays, people attempt to resolve their emotional issues by spending money, seeking to buy status and social respect. This paper analyzes the fundamental characteristics of compulsive buying, including impulsiveness, emotional attachment to shopping, and the negative consequences on financial stability and interpersonal relationships. It also examines psychological and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the development of this disorder, such as stress, anger, low self-esteem, poor self-control, materialism, and social norms. A deeper study, using contemporary marketing methods and strategies, reveals that today's consumerist lifestyle plays a significant role in the development of compulsive buying, as well as milder forms of irrational behavior like impulsive shopping, by allowing large corporations to exert increasing influence over individuals. The entire social system, based on capitalism and materialism, encourages the transformation of individuals into intense consumers of an ever-growing number of products and services. Marketing methods are becoming increasingly aggressive, often infringing upon human rights and ethical business principles. For the purpose of this thesis, an empirical study was conducted using a survey in which respondents answered questions about their purchasing habits. The research showed that younger consumers, particularly women, and those with higher incomes are more prone to compulsive buying than older consumers and those with lower incomes.