Lecture 3: Bad Behaviour-Shoplifting

Clip: Family guy ‘Breaking up is hard to do’

In the clip from family guy it was humorously shown how the mother character became additive to shoplifting, but is it really a funny issue in reality? As many think as it’s the start of a bigger problem in more serious thefts.
The questions that was answered when discussing this topic was 1) Is shoplifting any different to any kind of theft? And 2) why do people who can afford to buy things shoplift them instead?
When thinking about the first question I think that shoplifting is not such a serious offence, such as in one point that came in the discussion was that you wouldn’t care because you can’t see who you are stealing from and I think in that point its true as you can’t be affected by it or feel guilty so you tend to go on to steal again for more of a rush. But another viewpoint is that it is different from other forms of theft such as stealing from a friend which is morally wrong as I think it can was be thought of as a betrayal of a friends trust.
When thinking about the last question I instantly think of persistent shoplifting as an addiction as shown in the family guy clip but it can become and develop into a serious offence by the thief wanting more of a bigger rush by committing a more serious crime such as robbery or scams. Addiction in shoplifting can also reveal certain types in the person’s personality such as greed and enjoyment, but another viewpoint is that can it also be caused by peer pressure? I think it does as it may be that the person feels pressured to look ‘cool’ in the right branded gear as they feel they have to steal in order to be in the ‘in’ crowd.
It’s also true when sometimes the person steals because they can’t afford the things they need to this point is also true in the figures that have come out that show how the economic downturn has resulted in a increase in people stealing as the cost of living goes up this is also explained further in an article: http://www.themoneystop.co.uk/012010/economic-downturn-results-in-rise-in-shoplifting.html or is it simply not out of desperation but to save money and make their monthly income go further as much as they can?