Generality
Stalking is a form of persecution against a specific person ( victim ), in order to create a contact.
This results in a series of obsessive and inappropriate behaviors, aimed at expressing the attention not required by the victim; among the most common attitudes of the stalkers, include stalking near the home or the environments commonly frequented by the victim, threats, stalking, phone calls or unwanted attention.
Stalking takes place without the will of the person subjected to persecution and without the molester being given any pretext to be the target of such attention. Often, these behaviors open the way to violent actions; for this reason, it is important that the victim does not underestimate the phenomenon and reacts by protecting himself properly.
In Italy, stalking is considered a crime for "persecutory acts" since 2009, punishable following the report of the facts, with the imprisonment of the offender for a period ranging from six months to four years.
Stalking: definition
Stalking is a set of intrusive and continuous behaviors, which are implemented by the harasser in the hope of re-establishing a relationship concluded with a former partner, controlling an acquaintance, or "conquering" a stranger. The term "stalking" comes from the English verb "to stalk" which means "to follow furtively", but can also be used in reference to the "hunter lurking in the prey".
The dynamics of these persecutory acts is varied and complex. The behavior of the stalker can consist of uninterrupted stalking near the places frequented by the victim (to gather information about it) and intrusions into his private life, by means of telephone calls (sentimental or, on the contrary, threatening), sending of objects or mail, surprise visits, stalking, vandalism and the like. The behavior of the stalker is characterized, therefore, by a more or less marked obsession with the person subject to his attention.
Regardless of the mode, the stalker is always harassing and persecutory acts are experienced as deeply unwelcome by the victim. The targeted person is, in fact, in a state of strongly negative psychic conditioning, from which it is difficult to escape. The victim is annoyed, worried and alarmed by such persecutions and possible consequences.
In Italy, stalking is recognized as a crime in the "crimes against individual and moral freedom" of the person (Law No. 38/2009, Article 612 bis of the Penal Code "Persecutory Acts").
Warning! The law considers persecutors not so much the individual acts, but their seriality and their continuity over time, naturally against the obvious will of the victim. Persecutory behaviors must be repeated for at least four weeks and have characteristics that produce lasting effects in the persecuted person.
Typical stalker behaviors
Victims and stalkers can be people who have had a contact or a relationship of any kind (not necessarily sentimental) for various reasons (work, social network, family, etc.), or they can be two strangers.
A fundamental element of stalking is the character of seriality and continuity of harassing behaviors, which must therefore:
- Be repeated over time (at least 4 weeks);
- Having characteristics that produce lasting effects.
The attention of the stalker towards the victim can be manifested through intrusive communications, that is through the transmission of messages related to one's emotions (affective states in pathological form or experiences of hatred, resentment and revenge).
Consequently, the persecution methods adopted are forms of communication such as:
- Phone calls, text messages, e-mails and social networks;
- Sending letters, flowers, gifts, messages or other objects with particular meaning (sentimental or, on the contrary, threatening).
Another mode of persecution is constituted by contacts, which can be implemented either through indirect control behaviors (for example: tracking or monitoring the victim from afar, requesting or canceling the request for goods or services on behalf of the victim) or for direct comparison, such as home or workplace visits, threats and assaults (physical or sexual) and intentional damage to property (means of transport, housing, etc.).
These forms of persecution can cause the victim a state of constant anxiety and fear, to the point of forcing her to alter her habits . If a person is the subject of the attention of a harasser, which is carried out in the manner described, it may be the case to turn to the listening counters (anti-violence centers) or to the competent authorities, in order to protect themselves from possible negative intrusions in their lives.
The chronicle reminds us more and more frequently how stalking and other dysfunctional emotional relationships can lead to strong psychological stress or acts of physical violence . For this, it is appropriate to address the problem with someone who can help you get out of the danger situation.
Identikit of the stalker and types of victims
Identikit of the Molester
Through the analysis of psychological profiles and the study of behavior, it was found that the subject who carries out the stalking behavior can be:
- Resentful : he bears grudge against someone he believes has committed damage or wrong to him (for example, a dissatisfied customer) and, for this reason, he seeks revenge driven by feelings of anger. The behaviors of this type of stalker aim to cause fear and apprehension in the victim.
- Need for affection : it presents a high degree of social isolation and poor capacity for stable physical or emotional relationship; with stalking, the subject directs his efforts towards an idealized partner, in an attempt to obtain the attention and intimacy (concerning both friendship and love) that he cannot reach in conventional ways.
- Incompetent courier : he carries out oppressive, explicit and inadequate behaviors, as lacking in relational skills and incompetent with respect to the social rules of courtship. Often, subjects belonging to this category do not continue the stalking behavior for long, but tend to change the person to be harassed when they are not successful with the previous target.
- Rejected : the persecution begins after the partner (or partner) has left him or has expressed the desire to end the relationship; this triggers a series of strategies aimed at preventing the victim's removal and prolonging a broken relationship over time, albeit in distorted ways. The explicit goal of the stalker can be reconciliation and / or revenge for rejection. Rejected individuals are statistically more dangerous offenders, as there is a real possibility that stalking degenerates into acts of physical violence.
- Predator : extremely dangerous, he pursues his desires for sexual gratification and control through stalking. The predator feels satisfaction in observing the victim secretly, planning the ambush without threatening or letting his intentions leak out in advance. Fear excites, in fact, this type of stalker who feels a sense of power in organizing the assault.
Theoretically, the stalker can be of both sexes, but national statistics show that this is a more frequently male behavior.
Identikit of the Victims
The people at risk of being the object of the attention of the stalker are mainly the women with whom they have had a relationship (spouse or ex-partner, but also neighbors, friends and family).
Another vulnerable category is represented by those who, for professional reasons, provide "help" by various means: doctors, nurses, priests, social workers, teachers, lawyers and psychologists.
Stalking triggers
At the base of stalking there may be emotional dysfunctions attributable to the offender's childhood and recent losses in adulthood, prior to the start of persecution (eg, rejection, abandonment, separation and mourning).
Stalkers can suffer from mental disorders such as alcohol and drug addiction, personality disorders and psychosis. However, there are also situations where an underlying psychiatric disorder is not present.
The motivating factors behind the stalker's behavior can be summarized as:
- Affective deficiency;
- Resentment;
- I decline;
- Sexual predation.
Stalker: Diagnostic features
The harassing and nagging behavior is analyzed in the psychiatric field as an expression of different clinical pictures.
Stalkers are often associated with personality disorders (antisocial, borderline, histrionic and narcissistic). In some cases, there are psychotic disorders in the abuser, such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder and affective psychosis.
However, it must be considered that stalking is not a homogeneous phenomenon from a psychopathological point of view, so it is difficult to bring the molesters back into a precise diagnostic category. Furthermore, it is not always possible to identify the presence of a real psychiatric disorder of reference to the origin of the phenomenon.
In any case, as for the victim, the discomfort and suffering of the stalker are not to be underestimated: by acting compulsively in following their needs and denying reality, the offender harms his own mental balance and the quality of his social life.
Once reported to the competent authorities, the possibility should be offered to accept the discomfort of the stalker, allowing him to follow a path of psychological intervention, so as to avoid the repetition of the same persecutory behavior with other people.
Possible consequences for the victim
Stalking can have serious and dangerous consequences for the person targeted by the offender.
In many cases, if the victim knows the person who is persecuting her, she thinks she can resolve the issue on her own and unfortunately often underestimates the risk. However, it is not taken into consideration that the person who carries out the harassment, even if in his turn he is feeling unwell, does not see other ways of behavior, and is not able to respect the choices and wishes of others; just think that acts of severe violence or rape are often preceded by a long period of obsessive harassment.
The phenomenon can lead to the victim of stalking problems of anxiety, insomnia, psychosomatic disorders or real pictures of symptoms due to post-traumatic stress disorder .
For this reason, it is important that the consequences of stalking are not underestimated: if they realize that they have fallen into such attitudes and situations, the victim must be encouraged to seek social support and, if necessary, legal assistance .
In general, then, it is recommended to stop any contact with the stalker, to never answer his phone calls, not to read his messages and not to open the door to him. Some female victims can also be advised to take self-defense lessons to reduce the feeling of helplessness and vulnerability.
Some anti-stalking tips
- Inquire about the subject and adopt behaviors aimed at discouraging, from the beginning, the stalker; try not to react to persecutory acts with fear, anger or threats, as the motivation of the offender could be strengthened.
- Do not underestimate the risk and be cautious: for example, record calls (answer and keep the line for a few seconds, so as to enable the system to record telephone records) or away from home do not stop in isolated and secluded places, do not always follow the same routes, etc.
- Keep a diary to report and remember the most important events that could be useful in case of a complaint.
- Collect "evidence" on the stalking victim: keep any letters, text messages or e-mails with offensive or intimidating content.
- Always keep a mobile at hand to call an emergency number in the event of an emergency.
