Stealing is the act of taking something that doesn’t belong to you without permission. When we hear the word “stealing,” we often think of someone breaking into our homes or shoplifters trying to smuggle high-priced products out of a store. We think of career criminals, or stealing for dishonest personal gain.
While stealing can be dishonest criminal theft, it can also be the result of poor impulse control or addictive compulsive disorders.
Causes of stealing
Kleptomania
Kleptomania, or compulsive stealing, is a common cause of theft that many forget about. This type of stealing is about a psychological compulsion instead of a desire to profit or gain something material or financial, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition.
Kleptomania is a recurrent failure to resist the urge to steal. In most cases of kleptomania, the person steals things that they don’t need. The items stolen are often of little to no value, and they could often easily afford the item if they had decided to pay. This is unlike most cases of criminal theft, where items are stolen either out of need or because they’re very expensive or valuable.
People with kleptomania feel strong urges to steal, with anxiety, tension, and arousal leading up to the theft and feeling pleasure and relief during the theft. Many kleptomaniacs also feel guilty or remorseful after the act of stealing is over, but are later unable to resist the urge.
People with kleptomania also typically steal spontaneously and alone, while most criminal thefts are planned in advance and may involve another person.
