We’d like to gift you with a free lesson from our full Shoplifting course. With this free content, you’ll be better equipped to decide if our program is right for you – and you’ll start learning about shoplifting right away! Throughout the course, you’ll learn skills that will benefit both your personal and professional relationships. Start learning today!
Shoplifting is the act of stealing products or goods from a store. Some people feel as if shoplifting is not as “bad” of an act as personal robbery, because a corporation takes the hit for lost inventory and it does not affect an individual. However, in 2015, US companies lost about $32 billion to shoplifting. This drives up prices of goods as well as limits pay raises, negatively affecting both consumers and employees.
When people shoplift, they often feel an adrenaline rush that relieves built up pressure or anxiety they may be experiencing in other arenas of their life. This anxiety comes back, having not been fully resolved, and the need to relieve it also returns. Thus an addictive behavior develops.
People suffering from kleptomania cannot resist the urge or impulse to steal. These thefts generally are useless in regards to personal or financial gain. Kleptomania often occurs alongside other mental health issues such as anxiety, substance abuse, or obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Unfortunately, this course will not be covering kleptomania and instead will focus on addictive habits that develop around shoplifting and examine the causes of those addictive behaviors.
Addictive shoplifting behaviors may start out in a similar fashion to what someone suffering from kleptomania experiences. An impulse arises to steal something, anxiety or anticipation mounts in the person’s body, the theft occurs, and finally a sense of relief and thrill spreads. This series of events practically marks the entire experience of a person suffering from kleptomania. However, the difference begins when that person who stole begins to plan about stealing something again. That is the sign of a developing addictive behavior. Also, people suffering from kleptomania often steal from anywhere and steal anything. It seems as if people struggling with a stealing addiction premeditate what they will be stealing and where the act will occur.
Both types of shoplifters feel that rush of adrenaline from stealing. Where kleptomania feeds often off of anxiety, addictive behaviors tend to take root in depression or frustration. The rush of stealing rids the person of most negative emotions temporarily.
This course will work on examining the underlying emotions that cause impulses to shoplift as well as explore healthier and safer alternatives to counteract those emotions.
Tim has been underemployed for three years. His job pays minimum wage and every time he tries to seek another position, it seems as if the cards are stacked against him. His current job promises a raise, offers him a few more hours a week, just enough so he can’t work another job, or the position is filled by someone else. He barely scrapes by on his small income and must rely on his roommates to make rent.
Tim’s only hobby is reading. It helps him rest his mind at night and the feel and smell of books reminds him of his childhood when he felt much more secure in life. He used to go to the library to get his fix, but recently found the joy in having a growing book collection of his own. He often goes to the major bookstore in town and steals a book or two. Some of the titles are simply ancient, classics he will probably never read. Some are useful, self-help books or historical texts. Some are inexpensive paperbacks that he has borrowed previously from the library but particularly enjoyed.
Why is he taking these books? A few thoughts of justification go through Tim’s mind. He has such little happiness in his life, and he deserves a break. The big chain bookstore won’t miss the books he is taking. Life has been so unfair lately that he needs reading to get by and he isn’t really hurting anyone. Also, the thrill of stealing the books has become pretty fun.
Take a moment to dissect Tim’s situation. Is what he is doing considered greedy? A good way to gauge whether or not something comes from a place of greed is to determine whether or not you are acting out of generosity. Despite not gaining anything financial from his shoplifting, Tim’s actions were not generous. They were self-serving, which is fine in theory, but his actions did not repair the anger he was feeling from his situation.
Without taking long to dig too deep, what emotions do you associate with stealing? Are you trying to uplift yourself or are you trying to relax? Do you feel as if you have been treated unfairly in anyway and take things with vengeance in mind?
Next, examine the actual patterns of your shoplifting. Take a bit longer and answer the following:
Taking time to figure out the patterns of your shoplifting behavior is an important step in recovery from a shoplifting addiction or impulse. Acknowledging your behaviors makes them easier to control.
Open Path’s Shoplifting Course teaches techniques like this and more.
In addition to Shoplifting, your $4.99 fee will unlock each of our mental health education courses. You will have access to classes in: Anger Management, Co-Parenting & Divorce, Internet/Gadget Addiction, Stress and Anxiety Reduction, Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Domestic Violence Education, Healthy Relationship Building and Communication Skills.
All for just $4.99!
Open Path is an international leader in affordable psychotherapy and mental health education.
If you’re interested in learning more about your mental health and working one-on-one with a trained, licensed, therapist, we can help you get connected with someone who can see you for just $30-60 a session. Most therapists charge over $100 an hour, so these are significant discounts.
Many of our therapists see clients online, so if you can’t find a therapist available in your community, we can probably connect you with someone who will work with you through a video enabled program like Skype.
To learn more about our affordable therapy program, click here.
Completing your course: How long will it take?
Our course is organized into easy-to-digest lessons. Each lesson takes approximately one hour to complete. Students work at different speeds, so you can go at your own pace in our courses.
If you are mandated to take weekly classes, please note that One Hour equals One Week. (This information appears on all certificates.)
Not sure if you can make it work?
Get in touch and we’ll help you assess your situation.
