Limitation Escape with Infinite Consequences: A Qualitative Study of Theft in Bushehr

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Yasouj University

2 Dept. of Social Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran

Abstract

Theft as a crime against property, has been on the rise in recent years, making it one of the most pressing social problems in the country. This research has studied theft within a qualitative framework, using the grounded theory in social context of Bushehr province. The participants were 16 thieves selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using open, axial and selective coding. The coding process resulted in 143 codes, 23 concepts and 11 categories. Economic poverty and lack of social support were identified as the causal conditions of theft; social disorder and social deviances as the context conditions; loss of rationality and family breakdown as the intervening conditions; planning and skill development as the strategies used by thieves; and finally, psychosomatic illnesses, punishment and social disorder as the consequences of theft. The findings led to the emergence of a core called escaping constraints in an endless cycle of consequences. In an inefficient economic structure marked by numerous bottlenecks, people steal to escape constraints but quickly face further consequences. This traps them in a prolonged cycle of theft.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Applied Sociology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 August 2026

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 20 May 2026
  • Revise Date: 02 August 2026
  • Accept Date: 15 August 2026
  • Publish Date: 15 August 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics