stalking

n. The legal definition of what constitutes stalking varies across the United States. However, most agree that stalking constitutes a willful, repetitive, and obsessional pattern of following or harassing behaviors that engender fear in the victim. Unwanted pursuit of the victim, spying, surreptitious observation, and surveillance behaviors are prototypical acts of stalking. However, a variety of other “less severe” behaviors such as repeatedly leaving unwanted phone messages, sending unwanted e-mails or letters, or delivering unwanted gifts can also result in violation of the victim's sense of safety and/or privacy. There is a continuum of stalking behaviors, which varies along several dimensions: the severity of the behavior perpetrated and the degree to which the victim is aware that the behavior is taking place. Stalking perpetrators are not homogeneous and can range from individuals who have never formerly met their victim (e.g., celebrity stalkers), to individuals who are stalking a potential love interest or a coworker, to perpetrators who currently are or have been in a consensual romantic relationship with the victim. One common time for stalking to occur is during relationship dissolution. Former intimate partners are the most common perpetrators of stalking behaviors; these stalkers may also be the most dangerous as there is a higher than expected co-occurrence of stalking, harassment, and the perpetration of domestic violence. – JL-R, KMW