NCJ Number
192880
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 6 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2001 Pages: 519-546
Date Published
2001
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This literature review assessed the potential link between stalking and domestic violence.
Abstract
The goal of the literature review on stalking was to abstract patterns of stalking characteristics and juxtapose these on well-defined typologies of domestically violent people. The rationale of this approach was to understand the functioning, behavior, emotional constitution, and psychological profile of stalkers. Stalking may be defined as "repeated following, communicating, and contacting a person in a threatening manner that causes the person to fear, on a reasonable basis, for his/her safety." Stalking is a recent legal construct, and social scientific research on stalking is in an early stage. Given that the most common victim of stalking is an ex-intimate partner, there may be an association between stalking and domestic violence. The literature on stalking was reviewed by means of comparing it to existing literature on typologies of domestically violent persons. The authors propose that most stalkers who target ex-intimate partners are characterologically similar to a type of batterer labeled "borderline/cyclical." Both domestic stalkers and borderline/cyclical batterers possess traits of Cluster B personality disorders. These traits include emotional volatility, attachment dysfunction, primitive defenses, weak ego strength, jealousy, anger, substance abuse, and early childhood trauma. Further, both groups have been observed to react with rage to perceived or actual rejection or abandonment. The authors suggest that applying what is known about borderline/cyclical batterers to stalkers may aid in the investigation of this phenomenon. Implications for research are discussed. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 58 references