The Hidden Reality: Wealthy People Are More Likely to Steal
Stealing is generally thought to be an act of poverty and need, but recent research suggests the opposite may be true. According to a study in the American Journal of Psychology, people who earn $70,000 a year pickpocket 30% more than those who earn $20,000 a year. This means that wealthy people are actually more likely to engage in stealing than poor people.
The motivation behind this behavior is not financial necessity, but deeper psychological and social factors. Psychologist Terrence Shulman explained: “Stealing is only the surface of the problem. The real cause may be unresolved psychological trauma and repressed memories.” He believes that these behaviors are a way of self-comfort, and stealing becomes their psychological escape.
Another psychologist, Jon Grant, views pickpocketing as an addictive behavior. He said: “The people I treat really hate their stealing behavior. They feel tremendous guilt and self-blame after stealing.”
On a social level, the wealthy may have a sense of entitlement and self-interest that undermines their moral compass. In contrast, low-income people engage in less such behavior because they are more invested in their communities and fear public humiliation.
Research has also found that wealthy people are more likely to cheat and steal in a variety of situations. For example, in an experiment on the behavior of luxury car drivers, these drivers were less likely to obey traffic rules. Another “candy experiment” observed that wealthy people took twice as much candy from bottles meant for children as the average person. These experiments suggest that wealthy people may be more likely to break the rules because they feel privileged.
These findings not only challenge our ideas about social norms and moral behavior, but also remind us that even the wealthy can turn to law-breaking paths. When exploring the roots of these behaviors, we need to take into account the psychological state of the individual as well as the social environment in which they find themselves.