Why Honest People Shoplift or Commit Other Acts of Theft: Assessment and Treatment of 'Atypical Theft Offenders' - A Comprehensive Resource for Professionals and Laypersons - Softcover

Cupchik, Will

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1896342086 ISBN 13: 9781896342085

Publisher: Booklocker.com, 2002

Synopsis

Why Honest People Shoplift Or Commit Other Acts Of Theft, written by the most experienced clinical investigator in the area of atypical theft behaviour by usually honest people, psychologist Dr Will Cupchik, provides in readily understandable language, for laypersons as well as professionals (psychologists, psychiatrist, clinical social workers, lawyers and judges, loss prevention personnel), a great deal of information about this most fascinating example of human misbehaviour.  Originally published in 1997, this revised and expanded edition was published in 2002. It offers Dr Cupchik's findings of more than a quarter-century of clinical investigations into the atypical theft behaviour of these usually honest persons (first termed 'Atypical Theft Offenders' (or ATOs) by Dr Cupchik in 1985.
 
 
Among the most important findings of Dr. Cupchik's investigations is that most Atypical Theft Offenders are frequently at risk to being wrongly diagnosed as suffering from 'kleptomania'. Such a misdiagnosis invariably leads to a misunderstanding of the theft offenders' motivations and major consequences of misdiagnoses of these cases is inappropriate treatment by clinicians and the decidedly unhelpful disposition of such cases by the courts. Fortunately, over the fifteen years since this book was first published a good many defence lawyers have informed both themselves and the courts of Dr Cupchik's detailed findings and many such cases have consequently been dealt with in much more suitable ways.

The book's five major sections provides the following important information: (1) a detailed understanding of the dynamics underlying these ultimately self-destructive theft behaviours; (2) more appropriate tools to assist in correctly clinically assessing them; (3) an overview of effective specialized psychotherapeutic ways of treating ATOs; (4) highly useful information for relatives and/or friends who wish to help the theft offenders stop their stealing; and (5), suggestions are provided directly to the professionals who must deal with ATOs from the moment they are apprehended through the time that they are dealt with by the health and judicial systems.

The book also describes a multi-session Intensive Intervention Program for Atypical Theft Offenders developed by Dr. Cupchik to assist in the appropriate assessment and treatment of these individuals within a concentrated period of time.

Two original pen-and-paper tools that can help the theft offenders and the professionals involved in their cases, are included in the book. The Cupchik Theft Offender Questionnaire (CTOQ) and the Cupchik Theft Offender Spectrum (CTOS) facilitate in the more efficient and effective assessment and treatment of these cases.
 
The book also contains 33 richly illustrative composite examples of the different categories of theft offenders.

A highly informative and most remarkable abbreviated transcript of a single clinical session carried out by Dr. Cupchik with Alice (Case # 5) is provided. It is especially interesting that Alice was a religious and normally honest and highly ethical person who had never been apprehended, but was very distressed by her occasional theft behaviour. 

 Ten easy-to-read tables summarize a good deal of the information gathered by Dr. Cupchik in his two major studies carried out in 1983 and 1997, respectively.
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Incidentally, this book may be considered Volume One while Dr Cupchik's most recent book, Why Usually Honest People Steal, published in 2013, is essentially Volume Two, and presents a good deal of important additional findings that Dr Cupchik has determined in the past eleven years since the first book was published. While both books cover some of the same material, these additional findings are most important. As well, the latest book offers more updated and comprehensive versions of the  Cupchik Theft Offender Questionnaire (CTOQ) and Cupchik Theft Offender Spectrum (CTOS).
 
 

Edition details

• Publisher: Booklocker.com
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1896342086
• ISBN 13: 9781896342085
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336