downward spiral: A series of thoughts or actions which feeds back into itself, causing a situation to become progressively worse.

downward spiral: A series of thoughts or actions which feeds back into itself, causing a situation to become progressively worse.

A person I know frequently invests in the stock market, always losing money, never learning from his mistakes, always hoping to strike it rich, but becoming poorer and poorer because he has no common sense.

I have repeatedly suggested he buy safe dividend paying stocks that grow their dividend every year or every 3 months, but he wants only capital gains. What he's getting is only capital losses. He has Social Security income and a job. The income from his job has vaporized in the stock market. The last 6 months he worked he lost everything he made. He's in a downward spiral and he will never get out of it, because he wants to make big money to make up for his massive losses. He buys shares of companies that might go up but are much more likely to go down. He's gambling and always losing. It's pathetic.