‘It’s so Hard to Get Out of that Bubble’. A Phenomenological Analysis with Men Who Have Stalked

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research exploring the experiences of men who have stalked is lacking, specifically how they construe their reality for stalking episodes. Addressing this absence of experiential expert contribution was the pivotal and timely aim of this research, given interventions for stalking are under-developed. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with men convicted of stalking and held in UK prisons. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used with a unique, visually adapted repertory grid technique, derived from Personal Construct psychology (PCP). Both methods allow the researcher to explore the sense-making of experts by experience, hence the combined methodology produced an in-depth assessment of the phenomenon of stalking. This was the first study to capture the constructed realities of men who stalk, and the first study to use repertory grids with stalkers, piloting a visually adapted repertory grid technique for maximizing engagement. High levels of convergence between participants were found, with the analysis leading to the generation of three superordinate themes: (i) Neediness, (ii) “Nothing could stop me”, and (iii) Labeling, which were broadly supported by the repertory grid analyses. The findings contribute to both knowledge and practice gaps by supporting the relational goal pursuit theory for stalking and providing an evidence base to support therapeutic interventions for people who stalk. The effectiveness of deterrence and a need to improve social awareness for stalking are discussed.