Surname 1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject Due Date The Chief Causes of Shoplifting Shoplifting is a concerning issue with several causes that threaten the stability of retailers globally. One of the chief causes of shoplifting is economic necessity. Issues like personal financial hardship, unemployment, and poverty can prompt an individual to this motive. Poverty can be either absolute where a person lacks the minimal material necessities for survival or relative where a person experiences an extreme income inequality (Papaioannou 2). In each case, an individual is prompted to shoplift to obtain a daily need. Hence, the economic status of an individual particularly poor economic status can cause shoplifting behavior. Psychological conditions also play a pertinent role in shoplifting. Psychological factors such as impulse control, aggressiveness suppression, and consideration for others as well as selfregulation are greatly associated with criminal behavior (Zhuang 678). Impulse control is a developmental issue where children and adolescents aged 14 years are said to have attained nearly 65% while an individual attains around 95% at 19 years. According to Zhuang, a lack of adequate impulse control is associated with a high rate of shoplifting and other crimes among juveniles as they cannot make informed decisions (678). Moreover, stress and kleptomania tend to impact one’s decision-making. Kleptomania is a psychological condition in which an individual experiences a strong urge to steal and is considered among the few disorders associated with illegal behaviors (Blum et al 186). The disorder has an inhibitory effect on a Surname 2 person’s self-control which predisposes one to shoplifting. It implies that individuals with kleptomania and other psychological issues are more likely to steal than those without. Conclusively, shoplifting is a serious issue with several primary causes negatively affecting retailers worldwide. The most common key causes of shoplifting include economic status and psychological factors. Hence, it is essential to consider the varied key causes of shoplifting when developing intervention measures to address the problem effectively. Surname 3 Works Cited Blum, Austin W., et al. "Stealing behavior and impulsivity in individuals with kleptomania who have been arrested for shoplifting." Comprehensive Psychiatry 80 (2018): 186-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.10.002 Papaioannou, Kostadis J. "Hunger makes a thief of any man": Poverty and crime in British colonial Asia." European Review of Economic History 21.1 (2017): 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1093/ereh/hew019 Zhuang, Yaming. "Causes of Juvenile Shoplifting: Perspectives from Behavioral Economics and Psychology." 2022 3rd International Conference on Mental Health, Education and Human Development (MHEHD 2022). Atlantis Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220704.123
