Ben Rubin

It is remarkable that a simple network of grey goo, neurons, governs our behavior and stores the whole of our experience. Just an eight pound mesh of fiber and signals allow us to decide right from wrong. However, when it comes to the subject of stealing stealing, there is an air of a traditional sense of justice and just like an elephant, there seems to be a large grey area. The act of stealing transcends obtaining something simply because we do not want to pay or cannot afford it. In fact, there is often a high disregard for the item stolen where the act itself is the goal, serving as a statement of political beliefs or as a natural indulgence to get high.

We All Want Something

The reason stealing happens is simple; all thieves want something. Although this sounds obvious, the reality is actually quite convoluted. Motivation to take without asking can come from seeking fame, the thrill of transgression and bragging rights, or a hidden desire to be caught. Brian Schroeder, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy suggested, “Stealing can give someone an identity; it gets their name out there, almost like the figure of Robin Hood.” A robbery at any level can get people talking about the heist and those involved, and this is appealing to some people. In this way, thieves obtain more than something that does not belong to them, but rather a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, which even if they are caught, cannot be taken away from them.

Motivation for stealing gets even hazier. The deed can be brought on because of a compulsive disorder, learned from mentoring, out of a sense of revenge against an establishment, or justified by being a victim of theft in past. Stealing by compulsion is known as kleptomania. A mania of any kind has an associated realm of irrational behavior. This impulse control disorder is not characterized by the act of stealing but rather, failed attempts to stop stealing. Like most neurological disorders, this one is a complex deviation from normal neuronal signaling resulting in an undesirable social behavior.

Kleptomania usually runs hand in hand with other less than normal social behaviors such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa and clinical depression. According to WebMD.com, kleptomania may not actually be a disease in itself but rather the body’s own compensation for one of the more serious social disorders, like the ones listed above. The thought is that the subconscious takes control over the impulse to steal. Stealing then leads to a thrill that temporarily causes release of endorphins in the brain, which alleviates the symptoms of the disorder.

Ben Rubin

Mentoring, perhaps, plays the largest role stealing. We learn what is socially acceptable from our parents, guardians and peers. If we are exposed to a behavior, we become desensitized to the gravity of it. In this way, stealing can be learned and become commonplace. Consider the recent case of Amina Frye, a mother from Chicago, IL. She was caught on video instructing and directing her 10-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son on how and what to shoplift from a Macy’s department store. In this situation, it is evident that the children were being manipulated. They clearly did not have the guidance to show stealing to be wrong, which illustrates how mentoring can lead to theft.

Revenge and victimization also serve as motivation for why some people steal. Schroeder remarked, “Some people steal out of a desire to get even. The deed is self-justified by an internal rationalization of what is just.” This point is illustrated by people reasoning that a particular store charges more than a product is worth; therefore; the thief steals to avoid becoming a victim of robbery by the store. Another justification in the thief’s mind comes from having been ripped off in the past. The thief justifies a theft by only taking what is already owed to them — what they were unjustly denied in a previous, legal transaction. It is up to the individual to rationalize what actions can be justified. Clearly, walking out of a diner without paying because your waitress forgot to bring you a straw with your drink is not justifiable. However, if you get charged for an extra drink that you did not order nor receive, there might be some grey area in walking out with the almost full bottle of ketchup.

Regardless of the deeper psychological motives, stealing often comes down to one thing: Money. With the added stress of bad economic times weighing in on average Americans, shoplifting is on the rise. According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, 1 in 11 Americans are shoplifters. Additionally, those shoplifters pocket about $35 million in merchandise each day.

Desperation can drive people to act outside of their usual moral character. People who steal might be, “People who can afford an item but choose to cut corners,” as Schroeder mentions. Or they just do not have enough money to make ends meet. Again, a grey area persists when we consider a scenario in which a single parent without means steals food to feed a family.

In the end, there are a lot of reasons we use to justify stealing. The reasons are very individual, whether it is trying to get your name out there, a political statement, or simply to overcome a “challenge.” Whether it is an extra minute of company time, a bite a food, or music, we have all had our hand in the cookie jar. We will always have our internal rationalization and justification for taking without asking. People will continue to draw a line where something less than stealing ends and real stealing begins. Just as assuredly we are of never having a shortage of greed in our society, we will have individuals willing to stretch the lines and place stealing in a grey area.