STALKERS

A stalker according to the cambridge dictionary is someone who illegally follows and watches someone, especially a woman for a period of time. The oxford dictionary defines this in a more indepth manner; a stalker is someone who harrasses or persecutes someone with unwanted or obsessive attention.

Most of us have heard about stalkers from acquintances or seen a couple of movies where this character is portrayed but don't have personal experiences to validate these things. This doesn't mean they don't exist but you probably haven't had a fair share of this societal vice. Reports shows that women are often victims of this compared to men.

"Stalking" is the term commonly used to refer to a pattern of behavior directed towards an individual by another that results in the person to whom the behavior is directed fearing for themselves and/or others. The behaviors can involve overtly criminal behavior or seemingly non-criminal, innocent behavior or both. Stalking can escalate and ultimately result in actual physical harm to its intended subject.

In contrast to many other criminal offenses, stalking involves repeated victimization of the targeted individual. Stalking, therefore, is a series of acts or a course of conduct and never a single incident. Another contrast between other criminal offenses and stalking is the attention placed on the impact of the actions on the victim in stalking situations. source

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STALKING AND SPYING

A spy is someone who collects secret information. They do this kind of this as an occupation. They are paid to secretly watch people to get information about them to report back to their clients. The aim of spying is information oriented and most times does not involve any bodily harm or instilling of fear to the person being spied on. This is very typical with celebrities who are usually spied on for juicy gossip and in government dealings to know war strategy of the enemy.

A stalker observes and follows persistently out of obsession. It is someone doing something rather unhealthy. They are not paid to do it,they could just be obsessed about a person's personal life like their sleeping habits or their day to day routine and could even involve following them everywhere they go. These stalkers instill fear in the people they stalk making those people to constantly watch their backs and tremble at the trail or clues the stalkers leave at their houses or workplace.

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Here are some people's thoughts on stalking;

"I think the very word stalking implies that you're not supposed to like it. Otherwise, it would be called 'fluffy harmless observation time"
-Molly Harper

"I think the very word stalking implies that you're not supposed to like it. Otherwise, it would be called 'fluffy harmless observation time"
-Joss Whedon

"You know, if you're going to stalk someone, you should be less obvious. For starters, try not to standing in the middle of a field, gawking at your prey."
-Kristen Walker

"Often you don’t know whether you’re the hero of a romantic comedy or the villain on a Lifetime special until the restraining order arrives."
-Tim Kreider

CATEGORIES OF STALKING

1.SIMPLE OBSESSIONAL: This is the most common type of stalker. The stalker is usually a male and the focus of the stalking is an ex-wife, ex-lover or former boss. In intimate relationships, the stalking frequently starts before the break-up. The stalking can sometimes result from the stalker feeling that he or she has been mistreated by the victim.

2.LOVE OBSESSIONAL: In this type of stalking, the stalker is a stranger or a casual acquaintance to the victim. Nonetheless, the stalker becomes obsessed and begins a pattern of behavior as a means of making the victim aware of his or her existence. High profile examples of this type of stalking include when celebrities or public figures become the target. However, this type of stalking can be focused on an "average" citizen as well.

3.EROTOMANIA: In this type of stalking, the stalker incorrectly believes that the victim is in love with him or her, and that, but for some external barrier or interference, the two of them would be together. Given that perceived "love" between the stalker and the victim, the stalker can also pose a risk to those persons close to the victim since they may be viewed as "being in the way."

4.FALSE VICTIMIZATION SYNDROME: This involves an individual who either consciously or subconsciously seeks to play the role of the "victim." As such, the individual may invent a detailed tale in which he or she claims to be a stalking victim. In reality, however, the would-be victim is sometimes the actual stalker and the alleged stalker is actually the real victim. This is an extremely rare form of stalking. source

There's alot more about stalking and i'd write more about that in a different post but i hope you enjoyed your read thus far.

CONCLUSION

In applying markdowns in my attempt to complete my achievement 4, I used the Headline 1, align text, blockquote, justify text, center text and inline link.

Achievement 4 @alphaswife: Applying Markdowns - Stalkers, scary or not?

STALKERS