Why Do People Steal?
Why do people steal? People steal for a number of reasons, many of which may be a bit complicated to understand. Stealing can occur when people are in a situation that they cannot control, or in which they feel that they have no other option. For example, a man who has just lost his job, who gets turned down for charity or government support, is currently homeless, has to feed four hungry little children, and has a sick wife. There are also others who steal to get attention or because they find excitement in stealing and like the thrill of the act.
Usually, when people steal, there are triggers. In most cases, the act of stealing becomes an act of survival. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. When a person experiences a number of disasters, such as losing every source of income and having piles of bills to pay while also facing threats of eviction from your house, then some people will break and go for the last resort. A lot of us would say that we would never stoop as low as to steal but some people just are not as strong as others. The wrong combination of bad incidents and a fragile personality can definitely trigger a pathological response, such as stealing.
Whatever answer is provided for the question of “Why do people steal?” the general idea is that those who steal are in need of help from those of us who do not. However, the issues of trust still need to be addressed. So, we ask “How can we help someone who engages in stealing when we do not entirely trust the other person?” To be able to help someone, there has to be a semblance of trust for us to help someone we know is stealing.
The key to helping people who steal is by understanding them. How do we understand them? We listen to the answers they provide on the question about “Why do people steal?” When we listen to their stories, we will find out the cause that pushed the person to steal in the first place. Once we find out why they steal, then we can begin the helping process. Still, the person who steals will only be helped if he accepts the help and is ready for it.
The best way to deal with the problem of stealing is to address the root causes, which may either be for survival, attention-seeking desires, or the presence of a psychological disorder. Working on these issues first will help put an end to our queries on “Why do people steal?”
