Chapter 9 - Stalking Public Figures: The Fixated Loner

Abstract

Up to 30% of women and 12% of men will be stalked at some point in their lives. The risk is greater in certain groups, such as health professionals, but it is most pronounced for high- profile figures such as celebrities and public office holders. The vulnerability of the famous to intrusions by members of the public who are pursuing intimacy or some idiosyncratic cause is corroborated by a burgeoning literature and a litany of anecdotal accounts. Our concepts of stalking in the general population have been shaped by the clinical and behavioural sciences research, while our understanding of stalking in the public figure arena has evolved from the research and operational experience of police and protective services. Over the past decade, however, commonalities have emerged between these two fields. This chapter will describe the evolution of these formerly separate disciplines, and the contribution of the stalking research to current approaches to threat assessment in stalkers of public figures.