Why People Steal

Individuals become thieves for many different reasons, and some may even believe that they are justified by doing so, for the simple fact that they feel they have also been cheated in some way, however minuscule it may be. Some individuals actually become addicted to their thievery and are then considered kleptomaniacs by law abiding citizens.

It usually starts with small items, but once a thief figures out that he can profit from his thievery , their game is on, and many will continue to steal for long periods of time, or until they are caught and imprisoned. They often times steal things as a way of life, and consider it their job. Many thieves are caught and prosecuted repeatedly, and they continue to do their dirty deeds for the remainder of their free life.

Some people feel that they have to steal to feed themselves or their families. They feel that because they are stealing things in order to provide for their families, that they are justified in their actions. The sad truth is that many of these people could find a job if they really wanted to, but do not attempt it. There are also many welfare and public assistance programs available today, to ensure that these people do not go hungry, yet it still happens all over the world, thus some turn to stealing.

Stealing gives many people a thrill, as an addict gets their thrill or high from a drug, a thief often gets a high off of stealing. The higher the value of the object, the higher the thrill level. This is in part the reason why many people become kleptomaniacs , where many of them do not necessarily need to steal, they simply enjoy the act of it.

Children often experiment when they are young, with trying to get by with stealing things such as candy. Typically this is just something that they must go through in order to learn from their mistakes. When a child is ordered to return the stolen merchandise, it is quite an embarrassing event that they are likely not to forget.

Robin Hood seems to be the only justified thief that we recognize in today's society, and although he is just a figment of our imagination, his case is probably the only case where you could truly justify stealing property from another individual or company. Today, most cases of thievery do not involve helping any one except the thief, so it safe to say that stealing is unjustified behavior.