Stalkers 'are a product of new approach to sex'
Saturday December 02 2006
A leading academic has warned that contemporary attitudes to finding a partner can act as 'triggers' to turn socially inept men into stalkers.
Dr Bran Nicol said TV shows and movies such as Pretty Woman, The Graduate and Il Postino present women as sexually-charged and always available. The problem is compounded by an unrealistic approach to love and seduction where it seems acceptable to pursue someone despite repeated rejections.
"The plots of innumerable Hollywood films feature men who are initially rejected by a woman only to finally win her over through sheer dogged determination," said the expert in 'stalking narratives' from the University of Portsmouth.
"The assumption in these movies is that love is long-lasting - something that can endure forever. It is put forward as a powerful force beyond our control that can unhinge us and make us behave like madmen."
Dr Nicol's research also reveals a decline in the codes which govern everyday social behaviour. He said rules of social interaction have moved from the explicit to the implicit - and sometimes the lines become blurred. "Stalkers can find it particularly hard to read the implicit codes. They get too close to someone without recognising signs of discomfort."
He said these kinds of implicit rules of behaviour could explain why universities are so often the location of stalking cases.
"Universities are places where laws appear relaxed to the point of non-existence. Lecturers dress as casually as students and are referred to by their first name, but at certain points such as marking essays and enforcing university regulations they must draw back and occupy a position of punitive authority.
"The resulting confusion can easily spark an episode of stalking."
- Edel Kennedy
