Stalking (obsessional Following): a Review of Some Preliminary Studies

Obsessional following is a "stalking" behavior in which a person engages in an abnormal or long-term pattern of threat or harassment directed toward a specific individual. In a review of preliminary research during the past 20 years, the author finds 10 studies, all nonrandom samples of convenience, published between 1978 and 1995 in which obsessional followers charged with criminal behavior or investigated by law enforcement (N = 180) were identified` Aggregate data from these studies suggest that obsessional followers were likely to be males in their mid to late thirties with prior psychiatric and criminal histories. There was often a chronic history of failed heterosexual relationships and unemployment, but on average the subjects were more intelligent than other criminal offenders. Axis I mental disorders and Axis II personality disorders were common and varied. Approximately one-half of obsessional followers threatened the victims, but usually were not physicaUy violent. Frequency of any personal violence, depending on the study, was 3-36%. Incidence of homicide was less than 2%. The author theorizes that obsessional followers, perhaps a subset of stalkers in general, evidence abnormal, "preoccupied" attachment patterns, their pursuit fueled by a disturbance in thei¢ narcissistic fantasy linking them to their victims. Such disruption is usually caused by an acute or chronic rejection that stimulates rage as a defense against shame. 1T IS DIFFICULT to ignore, if not be influenced by, the commercial media's attention to an abnormal social behavior ominously called stalking. Notable forensic cases come to mind, including John Hinckley, Jr. (Caplan, 1987) and Prosenjit Poddar (Tarasoffv. Regents, 1976), both of which predated popular fascination with this behavior, which I clinically label, in some cases, obsessional following. Legal opinion has likewise proliferated (McAnaney, Curliss, & Abeyta-Price, 1993), but empirical data concerning the clinical characteristics of these individuals are remarkably scant. The mental health professional is left to his or her own anecdotal experience, or the speculation of other colleagues, to formulate treatment and risk management strategies, when obsessional following presents itself in clinical practice. Correspondence should be addressed to J. Reid Meloy, PhD, 964 Fifth Avenue, Suite 435, San Diego, CA 92101.