Although stalking behavior has long been acknowledged as problematic, it was not recognized as a crime until California took legislative action in 1990. Relatively few studies exist that fully explore the psyche of the stalker, in part because this crime has only recently been recognized. However, it is clear that a multitude of factors combine to create stalking behavior. For example, stalkers may be male or female. They may be "motivated by anger, revenge, jealousy, absolute fantasy, or delusion. In 1993, Dr. Michael Zona of the University of Southern California School of Medicine identified three mental disorders that may prompt one person to stalk another: Erotomania, Love obsession, and simple Obsession. Stalking cases are unique because
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The legal construct of stalking has been a point of academic and societal controversy in part because what is considered illegal stalking behavior, such as persistent attempts at communication and expressions of desire or commitment, is often difficult to distinguish from normal courtship processes (Anderson, 2009; Cupach & Spitzberg, 2005, Dunn, 2002; Emerson, Ferris, &Gardner, 1998). It is likely that human societies have always experienced forms of stalking(Dan & Kornreich, 2000; Finch, 2001; Kamir, 2001). Such overlaps between the cultural constructions of courtship and the prohibitions of threatening and harassing activities represent a problematic intersection. There has been reluctance on the part of the criminal justice system to view stalking as a serious issue (Kim & Spitzberg, 2012; Spitzberg, 2002a); and when the system does confront it, efforts seem “more focused on physical rather than psychological harm, thus leading to the minimization of the terror that stalking causes as well as stalking as a crime” (Logan & Walker, 2010, p. …show more content…
In general, the “more that fear or threat are required as definitions elements of pursuit to consider it stalking, the lower this percentage gets” (Spitzberg & Cadiz, 2006, p. ) A variety of experimental studies of hypothetical stalking scenarios 202 demonstrate that acknowledged of stalking as a crime, and the extent to which it constitutes a risk or danger, often depends on the gender of the stalker and the gender of the victim, their prior relationship (or lack
The legal construct of stalking has been a point of academic and societal controversy in part because what is considered illegal stalking behavior, such as persistent attempts at communication and expressions of desire or commitment, is often difficult to distinguish from normal courtship processes (Anderson, 2009; Cupach & Spitzberg, 2005, Dunn, 2002; Emerson, Ferris, &Gardner, 1998). It is likely that human societies have always experienced forms of stalking(Dan & Kornreich, 2000; Finch, 2001; Kamir, 2001). Such overlaps between the cultural constructions of courtship and the prohibitions of threatening and harassing activities represent a problematic intersection. There has been reluctance on the part of the criminal justice system to view stalking as a serious issue (Kim & Spitzberg, 2012; Spitzberg, 2002a); and when the system does confront it, efforts seem “more focused on physical rather than psychological harm, thus leading to the minimization of the terror that stalking causes as well as stalking as a crime” (Logan & Walker, 2010, p. …show more content…
In general, the “more that fear or threat are required as definitions elements of pursuit to consider it stalking, the lower this percentage gets” (Spitzberg & Cadiz, 2006, p. ) A variety of experimental studies of hypothetical stalking scenarios 202 demonstrate that acknowledged of stalking as a crime, and the extent to which it constitutes a risk or danger, often depends on the gender of the stalker and the gender of the victim, their prior relationship (or lack