Theft is a recurring social problem. Although some people occasionally steal a couple of times in their life, others are unable to resist this temptation. Some individuals do this because they do not have the means to buy what they need, others may feel a certain excitement by stealing, while still others feel entitled to take what they want without paying. This gesture has a number of negative consequences, such as imprisonment and a dirty criminal record. Although compulsive stealing is not yet classified as an addiction, kleptomania is an impulse control disorder that causes an overwhelming urge to steal, leaving guilt and shame. To address the problems associated with compulsive theft, it is important to recognize the problem itself, seek external support, change the way you think about this behavior, create a plan to prevent any relapses, find alternatives and find out about the uncontrollable urge to steal.
Steps
Part 1 of 6: Identifying the Compulsive Theft Problem
Step 1. Realize that you need help
It is important to know that you deserve to be considered, because many individuals who suffer from feelings of guilt (including the feeling of shame that accompanies the act of stealing), do not consider themselves worthy of help. Often this belief prevents them from seeking support. So, remember that you deserve support and understanding and that you are not alone.
Step 2. Identify the behavioral patterns underlying your compulsion
First, to begin modifying this behavior, you need to isolate the specific reasons that lead you to steal.
- Do you steal to feel stronger and stronger emotions? Do you feel an initial tension, then a thrill of excitement that increases before the theft and disappears once the crime is committed? After which feelings of guilt, shame and remorse follow? These are signs that stealing can be a problem.
- Do you steal to escape? While committing a theft, do you feel different, as if you are not yourself or you are losing touch with reality? It is a fairly common mood among people who steal.
Step 3. Write down what you feel
After discovering what motivates you to engage in this behavior, try to freely describe your urge to steal. Don't censor yourself - you need to take note of everything you think or feel.
Try to name the feelings that accompany your compulsion, including anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, fear, risk, vulnerability, and so on
Step 4. Be aware of the consequences
Reflecting on the consequences of your behavior can help reduce impulsivity. If you are nearly caught or have been caught red-handed (if not caught multiple times), write it down. Also take note of subsequent feelings, such as guilt and shame, and the actions you are used to doing to try to overcome remorse or sorrow, such as drinking excessively, getting cuts on your body, tearing apart what you have stolen. or other destructive gestures.
If you were discovered, how strong were the feelings that accompanied that moment? Why do you have the impression that the fact that you have been caught is not enough for you to overcome the irrepressible desire to steal? Write down every detail
Part 2 of 6: Seeking Outside Support
Step 1. Consider psychotherapy
While it is possible to overcome this type of addiction on your own with a good dose of determination, it is equally useful to consider healing yourself. The best form of help is to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist. Combining psychotherapy with medication can be effective against kleptomania and compulsive theft.
Don't worry: kleptomania and compulsive theft therapy can really help you overcome these kinds of ailments, but also remember that the results depend on your willpower and how much you are willing to put in
Step 2. Learn about therapeutic alternatives
The most common forms of compulsive theft psychotherapy include cognitive-behavioral therapy (TCC), dialectical-behavioral therapy (TDC), psychodynamic treatment, and the 12-step method. TCC helps people change their way of thinking in order to change their feelings and behaviors. The CCT teaches to tolerate discomfort and despondency, to control emotions, interpersonal effectiveness and awareness. Psychodynamic treatment focuses on the past and the education received in order to identify the causes of problems and find ways to solve them. The 12-step method usually focuses on addiction to toxic substances, but there are also similar programs for those with compulsive theft.
- Try discussing these alternatives with a mental health professional.
- You also have the option to try these therapies yourself through self-help programs. For example, TCC allows you to change your way of thinking by changing feelings and behavioral patterns.
Step 3. Evaluate drug alternatives
Various drugs are prescribed in the treatment of kleptomania, including Prozac and Antaxone.
Consult a psychiatrist for more information or to discuss psychotropic medications
Part 3 of 6: Changing Your Thinking About Compulsive Theft
Step 1. Identify and question your thoughts
Changing one's way of thinking to be able to change feelings and behaviors is the fundamental goal of cognitive-behavioral therapy (TCC), which is commonly used against compulsive theft and kleptomania. If you keep sudden thoughts in check, you can transform behavioral patterns related to theft.
- Reflect on the thoughts that arise when you consider stealing something. Maybe in this situation you are led to think "I really want it" or "I'll be able to get away with it."
- Think about who benefits. When you steal, only you will be able to benefit from it or also your family, friends or someone else? How will this gesture benefit you or others? If you have the impression that your compulsion validates your position or gives you a feeling of security within a group of friends or family, because it allows you to "buy" their affection or reward their attention with objects, then you must begin to consider these impulses as sources of inner insecurity.
Step 2. Get used to thinking differently
Once you have identified your mental patterns, you can begin to discover other ways of thinking. Essentially, you need to pay attention to the negative thoughts that reinforce the idea of stealing and commit to changing the reasoning that leads you to commit a theft in the moment.
For example, if you find yourself thinking, "I really want that ring. I'm stealing it now," think rather, "I want that ring, but it's wrong to steal. So, I'll try to save money to buy it."
Step 3. Reflect on the situation as a whole
Once you have a clearer idea of what is driving you to steal and how you intend to remedy it, think long and hard about what you are doing and the direction you are likely to take. These moments of reflection are important, because you will likely feel that you have no purpose in life or control over certain aspects of your existence.
For some people, stealing is a form of passive rebellion against circumstances that generate a sense of helplessness. By reflecting on the situation as a whole, you can begin to identify which goals to accomplish in your life and set limits to the unproductive behaviors that prevent you from achieving them
Step 4. Be prepared to amount and assert your needs
If you don't feel strong enough to defend yourself or feel that you are always being ignored, targeted or mortified, you will be encouraged to steal as a form of "revenge" against people who in your eyes hurt or ignore you. Alternatively, you could start stealing to silence everything you are feeling. Unfortunately, if you do not impose yourself and have no self-esteem, but choose to steal, you are putting your future at risk and you will allow the actions of others to hurt you even more. Remember that the only person capable of hurting you is you: those who love you could make you suffer a lot, but they do not have the power to punish you, because those who are able to punish yourself are only you.
For more details read the following articles: How to stand up for yourself, How to be assertive, and How to communicate assertively
Part 4 of 6: Create a Plan to Prevent Relapses
Step 1. Find out how often you stole
It is essential to establish a plan to prevent any relapses that allows you to control the urge to steal, but also prevents you from continuing to commit theft in the future. The first step in organizing this is to identify the problems you have had with your compulsion in the past.
- You can use the notes you took earlier to start outlining such a plan.
- Record how often you stole. List any incidents you can remember, starting from when you were a child. Write down what was happening at the time or what influenced your decision to steal.
- Rate your compulsion based on each episode. Use a scale of 1 to 10 to see to what extent you felt induced to steal each time it happened.
Step 2. Understand the factors that trigger your cravings and keep them under control
These are thoughts and feelings that arise in a given situation and that can push you to adopt certain behaviors. Write down everything you think and feel when you steal.
- Learn about high-risk situations. The key to impulse control is to understand risky situations and avoid them.
- How did you feel when you committed a theft? See if you can identify certain triggers, such as the presence of someone you hate or who has lashed out at you, the feeling of despondency, the lack of affection, the feeling of rejection, and so on.
- Notice if there is a relationship between what triggered the urge to steal and the evaluation you gave to the feelings that the urge gave rise to.
- Keep this list, diary, or notepad in a safe place.
- Step away from situations that may encourage you to steal or encourage your compulsion. Among other things, avoid hanging out with friends who commit theft or go to shops where you know the security level is low. Avoid these situations at all costs so as not to succumb to the temptation to steal.
Step 3. Make a plan to control your compulsion
It will cause you to talk to yourself before going further. Try the following tips:
- Stop. Instead of acting on impulse, stop immediately.
- Take a breath. Stand still and give yourself time to breathe.
- Observe. Reflect on what is happening. How do you feel? What are you thinking? What are you reacting to?
- Back off. Try to look at the situation objectively. Is there another point of view from which you can observe it? Project yourself into the moments after the theft, when you are holding the stolen goods, ask yourself what you will do with it and how you will overcome the sense of guilt.
- Practice what works. Choose what you'd rather do than steal. Try to change your behavior whenever you feel the urge to steal. Here are some examples of what could help you: repeat to yourself who you are and what your values are, remind yourself that you are a good person worthy of respect, use techniques to calm down and imagine serene scenarios to slow your heartbeat and relieve tension.
Step 4. Continue to monitor your behavior
Once you learn how to control your impulses, reduce compulsive theft or stop stealing, you will need to continue to review your relapse prevention plan and make adjustments.
- Back to the current situation. Take stock daily of the most recent theft incidents, if any. As before, keep writing down your feelings and evaluating your compulsion.
- Try to balance your diary. Take care to write down everything you have accomplished so far, the things you are proud of and the things you are grateful for. Over time, try to focus your attention more and more on these aspects as you update your diary to strengthen your self-esteem.
Part 5 of 6: Finding Alternatives to Compulsive Theft
Step 1. Distract yourself
Find some alternative to compulsive stealing that gives you an emotion or a goal, but doesn't create further damage in your life. You could pursue a hobby, do a particular activity, volunteer, help others, build something, grow plants, care for animals, write, paint, study, become an activist in a cause you believe in, or adopt many other wonderful solutions., alternatives to your compulsion. Whatever your choice, the important thing is that it is healthy and that it is not simply a matter of moving from one disorder to another (such as calming down by drinking alcohol).
Step 2. Be active
If this compulsion is filling a void in your life, fill it with exercise. Get into sports or exercise, pursue a hobby or volunteer. Instead of stealing to fill a void, use your time more productively and profitably. Doing so will strengthen your self-esteem, produce new energy and eliminate boredom. You will also avoid stealing because maybe you have nothing better to do or because you feel like you are living a meaningless life. Try to keep yourself busy and the rest will come by itself.
Step 3. Find a job, try to get a pay raise, find a better-paying job, or review your financial situation
If you stole because you didn't know how to survive, because you went through a period of financial hardship, or because you were driven by emotional factors, having a more stable source of income could mitigate the desire or "need" to steal. In addition, the security and routine of a job can restore the sense of responsibility and self-esteem that may be missing in your life. This tip is probably not for you if your wealth is healthy, you have a good job, or if money isn't the main problem, but if there is a bad relationship with money behind it, it can be helpful to have a secure source of income..
Step 4. Find an emotional outlet
Use the information you gain from therapeutic writing to begin managing the emotions and sensations that trigger the need to steal. Cope with anger, confusion, sadness, heartache, and similar feelings. Recognize what you really feel and beat new paths to manage all of this, avoiding falling into compulsive theft.
Take note of the solutions you have found to distract yourself, entertain yourself and have fun. Are you discovering new thoughts and gestures that make you feel better? What kind are they?
Part 6 of 6: Learn about Compulsive Theft
Step 1. Understand the difference between simple theft and kleptomania
To address your problem, it may be helpful to understand if you have simple stealing behaviors or if you suffer from a specific disorder. In these cases, it is preferable to consult a mental health professional.
- Kleptomania is widespread between approximately 0.3 and 0.6% of the population. In other words, about 1 in 200 people experience symptoms that meet the criteria for diagnosing kleptomania.
- 11% of people steal at least once in their life. In practice, more than 1 in 10 people have committed at least one theft. However, if done once or twice, it is not a nuisance.
- Kleptomania is an impulse control disorder: it is accompanied by a "strong emotion" during the act of stealing, followed by a sense of guilt once the crime has been committed. Furthermore, it is characterized by the inability to control or stop the impulse, despite repeated efforts.
- According to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (also known as DSM), stealing is not considered an addiction. To date, this manual has reached its fifth edition and is a reference guide for psychologists and psychiatrists in the diagnosis of mental disorders.
Step 2. Identify other causes
The symptom of stealing could be part of a different disorder. For example, conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder among their symptoms include behavioral patterns related to theft. In addition, it is necessary to undergo an evaluation for other pathological conditions that affect the cognitive, affective, behavioral or relational sphere and that can encourage kleptomania, such as dissociation, stress, anxiety and mood disorders.
Step 3. Do thorough research on compulsive theft
Look for information in the library or bookstore. In the age of the Internet it is easy to find out about health and psycho-physical well-being; Just make sure you find reputable sites, such as government-sponsored health portals and sites run by doctors and psychologists with good references and verified expertise. Also, read posts posted on forums where people with your own disorder share thoughts, feelings, and worries so you know you're not alone.
Advice
- If you can't afford something but want it, try to get it without spending too much money, for example by buying it second-hand or trading it for something else. Even temporarily borrowing an item from someone could help you stop wanting it once you own it.
- Talk about your problem with your best friend or family members. They could give you good advice and be of great help. Giving up a problem to a loved one can be enormously beneficial.
- If you think you can't talk to a doctor, talk to a family member you trust.
