Cyber-Stalking

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that stalking or "obsessional following" can be defined as obsessive relational intrusion (ORI), which is the willful, malicious and repeated following and harassing that threatens another person's safety. The author points out that cyber-stalking on the Internet not only serves as a new vehicle for criminal behavior but also presents the pursuer with the psychodynamic advantage of anonymity, which allows the stalker to assume any fantasized role he or she desires without any social constraint. The paper relates that this deception becomes a common phenomenon on the Internet because (1) most people believe that other people are telling the truth even though they are not, (2) deception is a common notion in ordinary social communication and (3) truthfulness is difficult to determine as Internet communication is limited to the written word without non-verbal cues.

From the Paper:

"Although little research has been done on the effects of stalking on the victim itself, Spitzberg, Nicastro, and Cousins (1998) point out that the stalking experience can create a form of "'psychological terrorism'" in which the victims are forced to change their lifestyle such as changing their address, or giving up their routine social activities. Together with this, basing on the research of Hall (1996), the victims are seen to undergo a change in personality such as experiencing paranoid cautiousness and being easily frightened."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Banks, M.A. (1997). Web psychos stalkers and pranksters. Scottsdale, AR: The Corolis Group.
• Cupach, W.R., & Spitzberg, B.H. (1998). Obsessional relational intrusion and stalking. In B.H. Spitzberg, & W.R. Cupach (Eds.), The dark side of close relationships (pp. 233-263). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Elmer-Dewitt, P. (1993, January 18). Who's reading your screen? Time, 141, p.46.
• Emerson, R.M., Ferris, K.O., & Gardner, C.B. (1998). On being stalked. Social Problems, 45, 289-313.
• Foote, D. (1999, February 8). 'You could get raped'. Newsweek, 133, 64-65.

More papers on Cyber-Stalking:

• Essay # 27707 : "Cyber Crime: An Overview"
• Research Paper # 8730 : "Personal Security and the Internet"
• Research Paper # 50273 : "Children's Safety on the Internet"

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