The Ethics Of Shoplifting (Or Not)

Why Some People Shoplift

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

I have a close friend who frequently shoplifts. When i try to talk to her about it she says it's not unethical because corporations mark prices up so much they're not really losing anything. I was raised to understand that shoplifting is unethical and wrong. Is my friend justified in her shoplifting? And why do you think she does it?

Sincerely,

She Shoplifts

A:

Dear She Shoplifts,

There's not too much to say about the ethics of shoplifting except that it's unethical. There is no reason for shoplifting. And there is no justification for it.

For some people, shoplifting is the expression of an addiction. Addiction is a serious medical condition, and its causes and cures are complicated and still widely unknown. That children are not the catalyst to move addicted mothers to cure their addictions speaks to the severity of addiction.

Addicts have a different chemical make up than people who are not addicts and methodone programs which have proven effective practice the substitution of a lesser harmful drug for a more harmful drug, and then a weaning off of that drug. Until addicts are recognized as people with different chemical make ups than non-addicts, and are treated differently, they will continue to run up against well meaning family members and friends who don't understand why if the person loved them, they'd quit using.

Technology CAN be addicting. So can narcotics. So can food. So can sex. So can shopping. And so can shoplifting.

People who shoplift often feel out of control of their own lives. Chances are that they already have other behaviors that are triggered by control issues, and if not, they will.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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