Aftermath Radio: Stalking

This week we begin to explore the relationship between psychopathy and stalking, and welcome our very first IN-STUDIO GUEST: Dr. Tracy Tolbert, Assistant Professorial Lecturer from the Department of Criminal Justice at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Tolbert discusses a symbolic interaction approach to research on stalking, and contributes the following blog entry:

Much of what is known today about stalking as a crime of predatory behavior assumes that women, or the “rich and famous,” e.g., movie stars, politicians, and other more prominent people in American society, are the primary victims (Law Enforcement Bulletin 2002, pg. 3, McFarlane et. al. 1999, Sheridan et. al. 2001, Winkel et. al. 2002, Brewster 2003, Stewart 2006, and Logan et. al., 2007).  Stalking is defined here as a “pattern of willful or intentional harassing or annoying/ alarming conduct, such as repeat messages, following, vandalism, and other unwanted behaviors” (Miller 2001).  There is also the “infliction of credible explicit or implicit threats against a victim’s safety or that of her family” inclusive of “actual and reasonable victim fear of the stalker resulting from that behavior” (pg. 8).  Yet in reality statistics show that 2.2% of males, versus 8.1% of females report stalking during the course of a lifetime (National Victim Assistance Academy 2002, Law Enforcement Bulletin 2002, Basile, Swhan, Chen, & Salzman, 2006).  These figures imply that while women are indeed targeted more than men, men are and can be stalking victims.

Research in this area is sparse mainly because men are viewed traditionally as the offender but hardly ever seen as the victim (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998; Purcell, et. al 2001, White, Kowalski, Lyndon, & Valentine, 2002, Schwartz and DeKeseredy 2008).  And since men are less prone to report themselves as victims of any form of sex crime, it is possible that the small number of men who do report constitute only the tip of the iceberg.  It is necessary then, that is, if we want to understand the full range and scope related to the cause and effect of this behavior, to continue to expand the range of research on stalking, to include both women and men.

What do you think?

Do men perceive themselves as victims of stalking the same as women?  To what extent do men respond to the stalking scenario particularly when victims are family members, friends, or/and associates?

[Exert from: Love or Obsession: A Symbolic Interaction Approach to Research on Stalking and Female/Male Victimology, Tracy Faye Tolbert, Ph.D., California State University, Long Beach, 2011]