Research into Celebrity Stalking AO1

Motives
1. Intimacy motives
  1. Obsession
  2. Dependency
  3. Reconciliation
2. Aggression
  1. Anger/revenge
  2. Control/Posession
  3. Attack
3. Disability
  1. Personal dispute
  2. Custody/Access to children
Who Becomes a Stalker
1. About 1 in 5 develop a 'love obsession' or fixation with another person (e.g. a celebrity). Stalkers of this type suffer from delusional thought patterns and may be experiencing a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia. Most of these individuals are unable to develop a normal personal relationship. Their fantasy relationship may include invention of fictional stories where celebrities are cast as the love interests. The individual may then attempt to act ou tthese fictional scripts in real life, thus engaging in stalking behaviour.
2. A more common 'simple' obsessional stalking type is distinguished or caused by some previous personal relationships having existed between the stalker and victim before the stalking behaviour began.
3. Individuals that are high in certain personality traits may be more at risk of stalking. Stalkers have been found to have certain traits in their personality- these are to be:
  1. Low agreeableness
  2. Moderately low conscientiousness
  3. moderately high on neuroticism
  4. NO difference however to:
    1. openness to experience
    2. extraversion
Processes leading to Stalking
1. Relationship goal pursuit theory proposes three main stages in the processes leading to stalking.
2. Stage 1: Goal linking and MOtivation: Our goals in life are organised in a hierarchy, with some being more important than others. We're much more motivated to achieve higher-order goals than lower ones, so we devote more effort to them. Goal-linking occurs when someone believes a lower-order goal is essential to achieving a higher-order goal. Potential stalkers link their lower-order goal of having a particular relationship with having higher-order goals, e.g. achieving happiness. Huge importance is therefore put on the lower-order, relational goal.
  1. Stage 2: Rumination and emotional flooding: When an individual is thwarted in the attainment of achieving a higher-order goal, they engage in rumination- persistent unpleasant thoughts relating to how distressing it is not to achieve the goal. Emotional flooding is also involved, experience of intense negative feelings, e.g. frustration.
    1. Stage 3: Enhanced motivation: Successful achievement of the emotional goal becomes the only way of gaining relief from rumination and emotional flooding- both very distressing experiences. The individual experiences enhanced motivation and persistence to achieve the relational goal. Often, there's misperception of the victim's behaviour as being encouraging. Pursuit of the victim becomes obsessive.
Violence
1. We may expect stalkers with a psychiatric diagnosis to be more likely than othe stalkers to resort to violence, but a review has shown that stalkers with a psychosis diagnosis are less likely than other stalkers to resort to violence. r
  1. So far as personality disorder is concerned, stalkers with this diagnosis are no more likely than other to resort to violence.
2. The most important factor relating to this is the nature of the prior relationship to the stalker had with his/her victim- the closer the relationship, the higher the probability that physical violence will ensue.
3. Findings showed that 56% of ex-intimates were physically harmed by their stalkers, compared with 36% of estranged friends/relatives, and 8% of strangers. This implies that celebrity stalkers will be very unusual, however, due to the stalker's perceived close relationship (parasocial relationship with celeb), the likelihood of violence may be increased.

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Research into Celebrity Stalking AO1

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	Created by soozi fullstop about 9 years ago