The state of the art of stalking: Taking stock of the emerging literature

Spitzberg, Brian H.; Cupach, William R.

doi:10.1016/j.avb.2006.05.001

Cited by 318 publications

(428 citation statements)

References 123 publications

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“…With regard to stalking, it is apparent that people hold preconceived ideas regarding stalking behaviour that do not reflect reality. For example, whilst research examining perceptions of stalking indicates that behaviour is more likely to be deemed stalking when perpetrated by a stranger, statistics 7 relating to the incidence and nature of stalking indicate that stalking is far more common among ex-partners than strangers (Spitzberg & Cupach, 2007). Statistics further indicate that ex-partners represent the most persistent and dangerous relational subtype McEwan, Mullen, MacKenzie, & Ogloff, 2009;Thomas, Purcell, Pathé, & Mullen, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research regarding the prevalence of stalking indicates that 12 percent of people living in England and Wales (Hall & Smith, 2011), 12 percent of people living in Germany (Dressing, Kuehner, & Gass, 2005), 11 percent of people living in Eastern Austria (Stieger, Burger, & Schild, 2008) and 17 percent of people living in the Netherlands (van der Aa & Kunst, 2009) have experienced stalking within their lifetime. Victims of stalking experience a range of social, psychological, physical and financial costs as a direct consequence of being stalked (Spitzberg & Cupach, 2007). For example, victims often invest in additional security measures, socialise less and stop going to certain places through fear of encountering their stalker (Pathé & Mullen, 1997;Spitzberg, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Framing and perceptions of stalking: the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator–target relationship

Scott

Rajakaruna

Sheridan

2013

Psychology, Crime & Law

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Research has demonstrated that the way in which questions are presented (i.e., framed) has the capacity to influence responses to subsequent questions (Tourangeau & Rasinski, 1988).In the context of stalking, perception research has often been framed in terms of whether or not particular behaviours constitute stalking. The current research investigates whether the framing of the opening question (question frame), conduct severity and the perpetrator-target relationship influence perceptions of stalking. Two studies employed experimental 3 × 3 independent factorial designs: one to examine question frame and conduct severity, the other to examine question frame and the perpetrator-target relationship. Participants in both studies (total N = 449) were presented with vignettes and asked to answer six questions relating to the behaviour described. Question frame was found to impact on the classification of behaviour, with a greater proportion of participants indicating that the behaviour represented harassment or stalking rather than an illegal act. Consistent with previous research, conduct severity and the perpetrator-target relationship influenced perceptions of stalking. However, there was no evidence to suggest that the framing of the opening question influenced these perceptions. The implications of these findings for previous perception research are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Framing and perceptions of stalking: the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator–target relationship

Scott

Rajakaruna

Sheridan

2013

Psychology, Crime & Law

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“…Stalking does not comprise a single distressing event, but encompasses a series of intrusions over a prolonged period of time that may appear routine and harmless in isolation (Sheridan & Davies, 2001a;Spitzberg & Cupach, 2007). It is not surprising therefore that there is no definitive anti-stalking law and that stalking is prohibited in a variety of ways .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequently, all US states and other countries including Australia and the UK have introduced stalking legislation. One of the main issues surrounding the introduction of stalking legislation is how to differentiate between 'reasonable' and 'unreasonable' behaviours (Dennison, 2007;Spitzberg & Cupach, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Reasonable’ perceptions of stalking: the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator–target relationship

Scott

Sheridan

2011

Psychology, Crime & Law

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Ex-partner stalkers are more persistent and dangerous than stranger stalkers, but are less likely to be convicted of an offence. This research considers whether the just world hypothesis (JWH) can account for this apparent contradiction. An experimental 3 × 3 independent factorial design was used to investigate the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator-target relationship on perceptions of stalking. Three-hundred and thirty-four students were presented with one of nine vignettes and asked to complete five scale items relating to the situation described. Conduct severity and the perpetrator-target relationship produced significant main effects for the combined scale items. The perpetrator's behaviour was perceived to constitute stalking, necessitate police intervention and/or criminal charges, and cause the target alarm or personal distress to a greater extent when the perpetrator and target were depicted as strangers rather than ex-partners. Conversely, the target was perceived to be less responsible for encouraging the perpetrator's behaviour in the stranger condition compared to the ex-partner condition. The JWH provides a possible explanation for the influence of the perpetrator-target relationship on perceptions of stalking. Future research could utilise more realistic vignettes to increase the impact of the perpetrator's behaviour.

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“…In fact, it may be difficult to draw a line between behaviors that constitute romantic courtship and harassment. In the great majority of cases, stalking is a distortion of the rituals of romantic courtship and failed relationships, and it can be regarded as a product of the normal relations between individuals (Sheridan, 2000;Spitzberg & Cupach, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, sexism and the social representation of stalking: What makes the difference?

Miglietta

Maran

2017

Psychology of Violence

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Objective. The present study had two main aims: to investigate how ordinary people conceptualize stalking behaviors and to deepen whether respondents' gender and attitudes toward women are related to the way the phenomenon is described and understood. The research was conducted from the perspective of social representation.Method. Three hundred fifteen university students from Torino who had never experienced stalking completed a questionnaire investigating their knowledge about the phenomenon and the levels of sexism. The participants also provided their free definition of stalking.Results. The results showed that the participants identify the causes of stalking in distorted outcomes of romantic relationships, view its aim as controlling the victims, and attribute psychological pain to victims. Women tended more to identify stalking with ambiguous behaviors; hostile sexists did not recognize psychological consequences in victims. The representations of stalking showed an opposition between morbidity and aggression in the stalking definition, associated with the endorsement of sexist attitudes toward women. Specifically, benevolent sexism favored a conception of stalking as an annoying but not truly dangerous event.Conclusion. It would be useful to reconsider the contents of prevention initiatives: they have to be directed more toward acting on the symptoms and causes of stalking.

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The state of the art of stalking: Taking stock of the emerging literature

Cited by 318 publications

References 123 publications

Framing and perceptions of stalking: the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator–target relationship

Framing and perceptions of stalking: the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator–target relationship

‘Reasonable’ perceptions of stalking: the influence of conduct severity and the perpetrator–target relationship

Gender, sexism and the social representation of stalking: What makes the difference?

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