Psychology of Kleptomania

Psychological dictionaries define kleptomania as failure to resist impulses to steal items that are not needed or sought for personal use or monetary value. It is not the same as shoplifting or a calculated theft. Items stolen by Kleptomaniacs are usually random and of low value, so they are stolen with no purpose of any personal gain. People with this disorder usually steal because of experience of tension before the theft and relief after it. Some lift of adrenaline, heart beating and feeling of being daring and dangerous can be the reasons of doing this too. It is never expression of revenge or anger. Just desire to feel some high experience.

Kleptomania is more common in females than in males. People with kleptomania often have some kind of mood disorder such as depression and anxiety. There are some evidences that the disorder can be caused by some abnormalities in the brain chemical serotonin.

Kleptomanias’ treating methods include cognitive behavioral therapy and even some medications like SSRI group, opioid antagonists and naltrexone that really showed effectiveness in dealing with this problem.

"Stealing let me feel like I was scoring points against the big, bad city" says a young girl who moved to London and felt unwarranted there. These words let's us understand more about the true motives of Kleptomania, and it seems that for some people with this disorder it is like some kind of game with their fortune where real emotions of adrenalin and relief are involved.

Analytical summary of "Introduction to psychology"

Robert S. Feldman is the author of "Understanding psychology". In the first chapter, that is called “Introduction to psychology” he explains what is the science of psychology, what are the major specialities in the field of psychology, what are the origins of this science and what are the psychology’s key issues and controversies.

The first module is called “Psychologists at Work”. In this module the author writes about the subfields of psychology, such as school, clinical, developmental, health psychology, etc. Also he explains that psychologists are employed in a very vide variety of settings, such as work at school, offices, clinics, counseling centers, etc.

In second module, called “A Science Evolves: The Past, the Present, and the Future” the Professor of Psychology writes about the origins of psychology, people who developed psychology as a science, the major approaches in contemporary psychology and today’s perspectives .

“Psychology’s Key Issues and Controversies” is the third module, where scientist writes about the main psychology’s key issues and controversies, explains how culture, ethnicity and race influence behaviour. Furthermore, S. Feldman also talks about the future of psychology.

To sum up, the first chapter introduces us with basic information about psychology as a science, it’s roots, problems, perspectives and the possible future of psychology’s development.