For: deer stalking

Stalking is a term used to describe unwanted attention by individuals (and sometimes groups of people) to others. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation. The word "stalking" is used, with some differing meanings, in psychology and also in some legal jurisdictions as a term for a criminal offence. It may also be used to refer to criminal offences or civil wrongs that include conduct which some people consider to be stalking, such as those described in law as "harassment" or similar terms.Fact: date=March 2009

Definitions of stalking

The difficulties associated with precisely defining this term (or defining it at all) are well documented. It seems to have been first applied to the harassment (in a general sense) of celebrities by strangers who were described as being obsessed. This use of the word appears to have been coined by the tabloid press in the United States.

Definitions used by papers in psychiatry and psychology

Meloy (1998) as well as Stieger, Burger and Schild (2008) used the following definition: To be categorized as a stalking victim a person has to report at least two different intrusive behaviors, which had to last for at least two weeks and also provoke fear.

Psychology and behaviors

Individuals characterised as stalkers may have a mistaken belief that the other person loves them (erotomania), or have a desire to help the other person.Stalking Stalking consists of a series of actions which in themselves can be legal, such as calling on the phone, sending gifts, or sending emails.CyberStalking: menaced on the Internet

Stalkers may use threats and violence to frighten their victims. They may engage in vandalism and property damage. They may use physical attacks that are mostly meant to frighten. Less common are sexual assaults or physical attacks that leave serious physical injuries.

Gender studies related to stalking

The majority of reported stalkers are male. The demographic characteristics and psychiatric status of male and female stalkers do not differ, except that male stalkers are more likely to have a history of criminal offenses and substance abuse. The duration of the time invested in stalking and the frequency of associated violence are equivalent between male and female stalkers. Women are more likely to target someone they have known — such as a professional contact — and rarely target strangers. Women often target other women, whereas men generally stalk women only.A Study of Women Who Stalk. AJP 2001

In "A Study of Women Who Stalk", Purcell, Pathé and Mullen concluded that the two major psychiatric variables that differentiate female from male stalkers are the motivations for stalking and the choice of victims. Female stalkers more often seek intimacy with their victim, who is usually someone they already know. Victims frequently work in professional helping roles such as doctors, nurses, therapists and counselors. Context was found to differ, but the conclusion was that the intrusiveness and harmfulness did not. The vast majority of stalking-related violence is committed by males.