Why people shoplift
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The news that a former Green MP has been accused of shoplifting for a fifth time has seen a sudden flurry of articles seeking to explain or excuse it, saying it must be a psychological disorder.
Now it is true that there is often a psychological factor in shoplifting, but is is far far more complex than just declaring they must be a kleptomaniac.
Psychology Today profiles 16 types of shoplifters. They are:
- The Externalizer: These are people who feel that they are not in control of their lives
- The Compulsive
- The Atypical Shoplifter
- The Kleptomaniac
- The Thrill Seeker
- The Trophy Shoplifter: tend to need to have the best of everything
- The Binge-Spree Shoplifter
- The Equalizer: shoplifting was “retaliatory justification” for such past events
- The Situational Shoplifter
- The Professional
- The Impoverished [Economically Disadvantaged] Shoplifter
- The Provisional/Delinquent Shoplifter
- The Drug or Alcohol Addict
- The Alzheimer’s Sufferer/Amnesiac
- The Chemically/Alcohol Driven Shoplifter
- The Inadvertent/Amateur Shoplifter
Unless you are a clinical psychologist who has interviewed the shoplifter, you really should not put forward theories as to what is driving the behaviour.
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