As strange as it may sound,
there are both men and women stalkers out there causing pain and fear and
victimizing others. Consider these points when it comes to victimization and
understanding women stalkers.
§ Statistics show that 1 in 6
women and 1 in 19 men have already experienced being stalked.
§ Most victims of stalking are
stalked by someone they know.
§ 66% of female victims are
stalked by a current of former intimate partner or spouse.
§ More than half of the female
victims reporting said they were 25 or younger when stalked.
§ Approximately 1/3 of the male
victims reporting said they were stalked before the age of 25 years.
§ About 1 in 14 males and 1 in 5
females reporting experienced this victimization between the ages of eleven and
seventeen years.
§ 46% of those stalked said they
had at least 1 unwanted contact with the stalker every week.
§ 11% reported that the stalking
lasted 5 or more years.
According to JR Meloy, (Am
J Psychother. 1997 Spring; 51(2):174-84), stalking is “the willful,
malicious, and repeated following or harassing of another person that threatens
his or her safety.” Stalking is also illegal in every state in America even
though the penalties and classification of the crime does vary from state to
state.
An international study conducted
by Meloy and Boyd,(Meloy JR, Boyd C. Female stalkers and their victims. J Am
Acad Psychiatry Law. 2003. 31(2)211–219.) found the following to be
true based on the collected data.
§ The typical perpetrators were
Caucasian
§ Most were heterosexual and single
§ The average age was 35 years
but all ranged from 18-58 years
§ Most of these women did not
have children
§ Most were well educated having
graduated high school and a strong minority having graduated college with a
degree
§ Most were intelligent which is
believed to have assisted them in pursuing victims.
§ Most used drugs during
pursuits but did not have substance abuse history
§ Their was a high rate of
sexual and physical abuse in the stalker’s history
§ Most of these women knew their
victims although 1/5 of the victims were strangers
§ The average victim was
Caucasian, heterosexual and around 41 years old
§ One third of the victims were
women
§ The average time these victims
were harassed was 22 months
§ Common reasons given for the
stalking included: anger, dependency, loneliness, obsession and feelings of
abandonment.
The rejected
stalker makes up
the largest group type. The stalking behavior from this group is usually the
result ofan ended
relationship with a romantic partner. These also could be the result of relationships
broken with mothers, friends or co-workers. Many of these stalkers tend to
suffer from personality disorder and are ambivalent about reconciliation and
revenge. This group uses a lot of methods for their stalking including a high
incidence of telephone harassment.
The intimacy seeking stalker has
a desire to be intimate with someone and usually has determined that their
victim is their true love. This group of stalkers seem to be the most persistent.
The incompetent
stalker tends to
lack normal social skills and know-how for a
appropriate courtship but hope that their persistence and stalking will lead to
intimacy. They know that their feelings are not being reciprocated but believe
that they are entitled to a relationship. This type of stalker has usually
stalked before.
The resentful stalker intends to frighten and
worry their victim. These usually hold a grudge against the victim or have
picked a person at random because of their own unhappiness. These stalkers are
most likely to threaten and harm their victims.
The predatory
stalker is the
most notorious group of stalkers. This tends to be the smallest group and
almost always is comprised of men. These are usually preparing for a sexual attack and are enjoying a power
surge they get from their stalking. Many of these stalkers have a prior record
or conviction on sexual offense charges.
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