Not all stalkers are motivated by the same desires, and many are women.
Australian psychiatrists Paul Mullen and Michele Pathe and psychologist Rosemary Purcell identified different categories of stalkers as part of their system for assessing a stalker’s risk. These experts have studied stalking’s impacts on victims, the psychology of stalkers and risk factors that lead to various outcomes. This is a simplified version of the typology they developed to help professionals understand and manage stalkers. To learn more, visit stalkingriskprofile.com.
This article is part of a Street Roots report about a Multnomah County woman who was stalked by her Lyft driver.
The Rejected Stalker
Rejected stalking arises from the breakdown of a close relationship. Victims are usually former sexual intimates, however, family members, close friends or others with a close relationship to the stalker can also become targets of rejected stalking. Their initial motivation is either attempting to reconcile the relationship or exacting revenge for a perceived rejection. In many cases, rejected stalkers act ambivalent about the victim and want the relationship back, while at other times they appear angry and want revenge. In some cases, the behavior is maintained because it allows the stalker to continue to feel close to the victim.
The Resentful Stalker
Resentful stalking arises when the stalker feels they have been mistreated or that they are the victim of some form of injustice or humiliation. Victims are strangers or acquaintances who are seen to have mistreated the stalker. This form of stalking can arise out of severe mental illness when the perpetrator develops paranoid beliefs about the victim and uses stalking as a way of getting back. The initial motivation is revenge, and the stalking is maintained by the sense of power and control the stalker derives from inducing fear in the victim.
The Intimacy-Seeking Stalker
Intimacy-seeking stalking arises out of a context of loneliness. Victims are usually strangers or acquaintances who become the target of the stalker’s desire for a relationship. Frequently, intimacy-seeking stalkers’ behavior is fueled by a severe mental illness involving delusional beliefs about the victim, such as the belief they are already in a relationship, even though none exists.
The Incompetent Suitor
The incompetent suitor stalks in the context of loneliness or lust and targets strangers or acquaintances. Unlike the intimacy seeker, their initial motivation is not to establish a loving relationship, but to get a date or short-term sexual relationship. Incompetent suitors usually stalk for brief periods, but when they do persist, their behavior is usually maintained by the fact they are blind or indifferent to the distress of the victim. Sometimes this insensitivity is associated with cognitive limitations or poor social skills.
The Predatory Stalker
Predatory stalking arises in the context of deviant sexual practices and interests. Perpetrators are usually male, and the victims are usually female strangers in whom the stalker develops a sexual interest. The stalking behavior is usually initiated as a way of obtaining sexual gratification (voyeurism) but can also be used as a way of obtaining information about the victim as a precursor to a sexual assault.