Stalking: new constructions of human behaviour

In the last decade stalking has emerged as a significant social problem, which now constitutes a specific form of criminal offence in most English-speaking nations. This paper examines why stalking has become a major social problem and why it should be of particular concern to mental health professionals.

Using the extant literature, the history of the emergence of stalking as social, legal and behavioural science discourses is presented. An attempt is made to understand the social and cultural forces which shaped our current understanding of the phenomenon of stalking.

Stalking flourishes in a variety of contexts; the social conditions conducive to such behaviour include greater instability in intimate relationships, a culture of blame and entitlement and a growing social anxiety that emphasizes vulnerability to crime and suspicion regarding the intentions of strangers. Stalking is now an established category whose utility is in directing social, legal and health energies to support victims and relieve stalkers of their burden of pursuit.

Stalking is a curious construction born of a range of tensions in contemporary culture but has proved to be a useful label and a useful concept. In part due to the emergence of the concept of stalking, laws are now available to protect, and services increasingly geared to support, the victims of persistent harassment.