In a survey conducted by Tjaden and Thoennes
(1998) as cited in Hazelwood and Burgess (2001), stalking is defined as
"...a course of conduct directed at a specific person that involves a
repeated visual or physical proximity; nonconsensual communication; verbal,
written, or implied threats; or a combination of thereof that would cause
fear in a reasonable person" (p. 16).
Stalking can be defined many ways, but in my experience, most people seem to
believe that stalking is one person being around, in contact with, and/or
threatening another person. This may be true in some cases, however stalking
can also be limited to watching the victim or invading the personal space of
another to harass or illicit a fearful response by the victim. Everyone
today seems to be able to recall horror stories in the media pertaining to
stalking, and the events that make national news often end with injury or
even death of the victim.
For the victim, stalking is at the very least annoying and can also be
terrifying depending upon the severity or intensity of the stalker. Annoying
is the stalker that writes constant e-mail or makes telephone calls at all
hours but do not threaten. Terrifying is the stalker that is seen sitting
across the street from your home, illegally enters your home, or makes
serious threats. Yet the one thing that remains constant whether annoying or
terrifying is the feeling of dread the victim feels knowing that at any time
the next encounter with this person can take place.
Perhaps another definition is in order, one that takes the victim into
account. Stalking in this way would be repeated actions by an individual
that creates a sense of dread, fear, or anger and disrupts the life of the
victim.
Stalking begins and is perpetuated in the mind of the offender. There is a
level of obsession involved, which includes complex thought processes and
fantasies on the part of the offender. In some cases the victim and offender
are known by one another and may include ex-spouses, partners, friends or
relatives. Other times, the victim is someone targeted by a stranger, or in
the case of celebrities a "fan". Most people have heard about celebrities
such as Jodi Foster and John Lennon due to the enormous publicity
surrounding the outcomes of stalking by a fan. The movie "The Bodyguard" was
a good example of stalking and the fear it can illicit in a victim and the
movie "Fatal Attraction" was an excellent example of the distortions an
offender may hold and the extent to which the person will go to obtain or
retain the relationship (in many cases perceived relationship by the
offender).
There are stalker typologies, but this will be presented in another article.
References
Hazelwood, R.R., & Burgess, A.W. (2001). Practical aspects of rape
investigation: A multidisciplinary approach. (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC
Press.
E-mail your questions or suggestions to
Bryan Nelson
