????當前世界經濟亂象叢生，市場起伏不定，形勢之惡劣為2008年金融危機以來所未見。這種動蕩會對投資者的心理產生什么樣的影響？現在正是研究這一問題的理想時機。金錢與人的心理狀態息息相關，哪怕一點風吹草動，市場都會出現下跌，難怪人們經常抱怨市場如此“善變”。投資者之所以會拋售，而且通常是非理性的進行交易，恐慌是最主要的情感推動因素（昨天，道瓊斯指數下跌391點便是最好的例子）。

????但大部分投資者其實并未意識到，除了市場上的集體心理活動，每個人或多或少都存在與金錢相關的心理問題。股市暴跌、抵押貸款膨脹、失業的威脅等等，這些自然都是造成壓力的原因。但除此之外，關于金錢更嚴重的問題往往源自我們的內心。不論是否面臨市場危機，正是內心的情緒驅使著人們在財務問題上做出非理性的舉動。

????其中最顯而易見的例子，便是我們所熟知的涉及金錢的病態心理，比如賭博成癮、過度花費、囤積等。但在我們的日常生活中，其實還存在許多更不容易為人察覺的實例，比如無力應對日常財務問題，陷入一夜暴富騙局，超額借貸，或者無力處理重要的長期財務問題，比如資產規劃等。

????涉及金錢的非理性在家庭生活中也扮演著重要的角色：父母無意之中向孩子傳達的種種關于金錢的隱晦信息，或者因為對金錢斤斤計較而導致的家庭關系問題。在大量離婚案件中，金錢都是爭論的焦點；而且，許多離婚案件無法友好解決也與金錢密切相關。

????有趣的是，涉及金錢的非理性在國家層面也同樣非常明顯，目前的金融危機就是最好的佐證。金融危機期間，很多美國規模最大的金融機構和監管部門所做出的決策在事后看來都是本可避免的、拙劣不堪的決策。

????那么，既然我們的金錢觀都存在問題，又該如何糾正呢？首先需要明確的是金錢對我們的真正意義到底是什么。

????《韋氏詞典》（Webster's）對金錢的定義是：

????1：公認的、作為交換媒介或價值衡量物的物品，或作為支付方式的物品：例如 a：官方鑄造的金屬貨幣

????2：以貨幣計算的財富 b：一筆錢

????3：硬幣或紙幣的面額

????《韋氏詞典》的定義雖然準確，卻并未闡明金錢對于人的意義。要想理解自己與金錢的關系，最簡單的方法是回答下列問題：

??? 金錢 = （填空）？

????我曾在一次研討會中向與會者提出過這個問題。他們的回答五花八門，連與會者自己都感到驚奇。其中最普遍的答案包括：控制、愛、權力、安全感、獨立、自由、社會認可和吸引異性。另外一個簡單的測試是明確自己使用金錢的方式，這樣也能讓你明白金錢的意義。例如，金錢可以用于示愛、懲罰、培養獨立性、操控、羞辱，以及獲得盟友。

????As the markets roil and uncertainty hangs over the economy in ways we haven't seen since 2008, it's a good time to address how all the turbulence has impacted investors' psyches. Money and psychology are inextricably linked, of course -- it's the reason people often call the markets "skittish" to explain drops with little cause. And fear and panic are the main emotions that drive investor selling, almost always irrationally (see yesterday's 391-point drop in the Dow as an example).

????But what most investors don't realize is that in addition to collective market psychology, almost everyone has his or her own individual psychological issues with money. While crashing stocks, ballooning mortgage payments, or the threat of job loss are understandable causes of stress, our more significant problems with money stem from our own internal issues that drive many people to act irrationally when it comes to financial matters -- whether there's a market crisis or not.

????The most obvious examples of these issues are the classic money-related pathologies we're all familiar with: gambling addiction, overspending, hoarding, etc. But there are many more subtle everyday examples -- the inability to deal with day to day financial tasks, falling for get rich quick schemes, taking on excessive debt, and the inability to attend to important long-term financial issues like estate planning.

????Irrationality with money plays a big role in families, too: the myriad subtle and unintended messages parents give to children regarding money, or relationship problems that can arise over insignificant amounts of money. In a significant number of divorces money is a central issue, and many problems with settling a divorce amicably are money related.

????Interestingly, irrationality with money is also evident on a national level, as evidenced by the ongoing financial crisis, during which many of our largest financial institutions and regulatory agencies made decisions that, in hindsight, were clearly problematic and avoidable.

????So if it's true that we all have money issues, how do we correct them? The first step is to identify what money means to you—what it really means to you.

????According to Webster's, money is:

????1: something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment: as a: officially coined or stamped metal currency

????2: wealth reckoned in terms of money b: an amount of money

????3: a form or denomination of coin or paper

????But this definition, while accurate, doesn't quite get at what money actually means to many people. An easy way to begin to understand your own relationship with money is to answer the following question:

??? money = (fill in the blank)

????When I've posed this question to workshop participants, they've been amazed at how large and varied a list they create. Some of the most common answers are: control, love, power, security, safety, independence, freedom, social acceptance, and sexual appeal. Another easy test is to identify how money is being used, and you'll have a sense of what it means. For example, money can be used to show love, to punish, to foster dependence, to manipulate, to humiliate, and to create alliances.