Why someone steals

It is even part of the Ten Commandments - Thou shall not steal. Also, in Nigeria, it is a crime to steal. It does not matter whether it is stolen from an individual or the government, stealing is a crime. In some countries, a person who is convicted of stealing or who embezzles money is automatically deprived of holding any political office, at least for a specified period. Imagine if this were the case in Nigeria.

How many politicians would we have left? Jobs Career Advice Signup. Home » Life and Arts ». Suppose a kid sees a pen in a store and decides to take it. If she gets caught, the store owner might say she's not allowed in the store again. The owner might tell her parents. She may have to give money to pay for the pen and the police could be called because stealing including shoplifting is a crime. She could be arrested, especially if she has stolen before, and that could lead to more problems.

She may have to go to court and may have some sort of punishment, like having to do work in the community to make up for what she has done. How does stealing make someone feel? Whoever is stealing is probably nervous during the act itself. If a kid gets away with it, he may be relieved at first.

Later, he feels lousy because he knows what he did was wrong. He also might be afraid that someone will discover his secret, and he'll want to deny it. But lying will only make matters worse. Kids who gets caught might be really embarrassed. Then they may be ashamed because they let their family down. They may feel like nobody trusts them anymore. They might feel stupid and worried. What if they go to jail?

What if their favorite teacher finds out? What if they loses their friends? But even when kids don't feel these things, stealing is still wrong. Stealing has serious consequences say: CON-seh-kwen-sez because it hurts everyone:. If you know someone who steals, you shouldn't just shrug it off.

That's like saying stealing is OK. You can tell the person that stealing is wrong or that you're concerned about him, but he may get angry with you. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Recognize the signs of kleptomania. Kleptomania is a type of impulse control disorder in which a person repeatedly has the urge to steal items that are not needed or that have very little value.

A kleptomaniac may not need the item or might even have the money to purchase it. Still, the person compulsively steals because they get a rush from doing it. They do not usually plan out thefts or collaborate with others to complete them.

Instead, these urges come on spontaneously. The person may steal from public places such as stores or from the homes of family or friends.

Kleptomania can be treated with therapy and medication. You might tell the person: "I noticed that you took something out of that store. I know that you had the money, so I'm guessing you just had a desire to steal it. I'm concerned and I don't want you to get into trouble. Maybe you should talk to a professional. I'm willing to go with you. Identify addiction-related stealing. A kleptomaniac steals merely for the rush and doesn't take the value of the stolen items into consideration.

On the contrary, other forms of pathological theft are driven by addiction. In fact, stealing — along with financial difficulties — is often described as one of the warning signs of addiction. A person with a substance abuse problem or gambling addiction may take money from relatives, friends, and coworkers to fund their addiction. Lying is also a component of this type of theft; therefore, if the person is confronted about the issue, they are likely to deny having a problem.

Go to source If you suspect someone you know may be stealing to fund an addiction, get the person professional help immediately. You can approach the person and ask about the behavior: "Lately you've been behaving differently, withdrawing from your friends, and having trouble keeping money. I'm worried you might have a drug problem. An intervention involves other people who care about the person joining you in reaching out to them and explaining your concerns.

This can serve as an impetus to get the person into addiction treatment. Understand that pathological stealing is generally not personal. People who steal pathologically are generally not doing it to intentionally harm anyone. The stealing meets a need — whether emotionally or literally. You may be thinking "that does't count" about some of these small things. You may have thought it was yours, and, hey, nobody's really going to miss it.

Though these cases of petty, petty, petty, petty, petty theft are probably not going to get you time in the slammer, when you take a second to think about it, we steal a lot of stuff.

We created a list of some of the most common things we like to steal the most — some of them accidentally and others, we steal on purpose. We steal pens so much that doctor's offices actually tie them to clipboards.

And banks, well, they chain those pens down so our thieving hands don't walk out with them. It may sound ridiculous, but is it? Have you ever stolen someone's pen? Have you ever cut in line? When someone cuts in line, in all actuality, that person is stealing someone else's time. That person has to wait longer because the line cutter stole the spot he or she waited for. This can produce varying reactions. The person who stood there waiting may become infuriated and confront the line-cutter; he or she may give the line cutter a dirty look, but figure it's not really worth a confrontation and simply let it go; or he or she may assertively tell the line-cutter to move to the back of the line.

The Journal of Personality of Social Psychology studied how people react in this situation. Although its research is dated, it is still compelling.