Stalking isn't one specific disorder but is linked to various personality issues like Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (fear of abandonment), Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) (mistrust), and sometimes Antisocial Personality Disorder, often combined with psychotic conditions like Erotomania or delusional disorders, driving obsessive, unwanted pursuit stemming from deep insecurities, rejection fears, or distorted beliefs about a relationship, notes this Universitas Airlangga article, this NIH study and this ScienceDirect article.
The one trait all stalkers share is that they suffer from a personality or mental disorder, if not both. Just as anyone can be a stalker, virtually anyone can be a stalking victim.
Symptoms and Causes
People with PPD may: Doubt the commitment, loyalty or trustworthiness of others, believing others are exploiting or deceiving them. Be reluctant to confide in others or reveal personal information because they're afraid the information will be used against them. Be unforgiving and hold grudges.
In rare cases, stalking can be an expression of mental disorder. Psychotic stalking, for example, can occur as a symptom of schizophrenia or erotomania. Psychotic stalkers are criminally not responsible for their acts and have to be treated in a psychiatric hospital.
Someone is stalking you if they:
Repeatedly send you unwanted emails, letters, or gifts. Vandalize or damage your property or repeatedly leave signs to let you know they've been around. Threaten you or someone you care about. Ask family members or friends for information about you.
Stalking Typologies
Stalking can be: “a pattern of unwanted, fixated and obsessive behaviour which is repeated, persistent, intrusive and causes fear of violence or serious alarm and distress in the victim”. The FOUR elements – Fixated, Obsessive, Unwanted, Repeated, – are indications of stalking.
Stalkers targeting ex-partners (a larger subgroup than those targeting acquaintances or strangers) were found most likely to possess Cluster B personality disorders, with traits of dependent, schizoid and avoidant personality.
Stalkers are more vulnerable to Shock attacks than other machines. Repeated attacks with weapons that deal Shock damage will quickly stun a Stalker. This vulnerability is absent in Daemonic and Apex Stalkers; indeed, like all Daemonic Machines, they are highly Shock-resistant. Also, their head is a known weakpoint.
Intermittent explosive disorder involves repeated, sudden bouts of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior or angry verbal outbursts. The reactions are too extreme for the situation. Road rage, domestic abuse, throwing or breaking objects, or other temper tantrums may be symptoms of intermittent explosive disorder.
Personality disorders involve pervasive patterns of unusual behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, making it hard to function, with common signs including unstable relationships, identity issues, extreme mood swings, impulsive/risky actions (like self-harm or substance misuse), persistent distrust, intense fear of abandonment, difficulty with emotional regulation, problems controlling anger, lack of empathy, and trouble with boundaries or self-image.
The classic symptoms associated with avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) include social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to negative feedback and evaluation, fear of rejection, avoidance of any activities that require substantial personal interaction, and reluctance to take risks or get involved in ...
Five key signs of emotional abuse include isolation, excessive control & jealousy, humiliation & name-calling, gaslighting & invalidation, and threats & intimidation, all designed to erode self-esteem and create dependency, making the victim feel unsure, alone, and fearful. These behaviors often manifest as constant criticism, monitoring activities, controlling finances, and blaming the victim for everything, leading to withdrawal or anxiety.
Stalkers aren't always obsessed with the person they are stalking. Sometimes they will have developed an obsession, but they might be motivated by other factors too, like jealousy, revenge or they may be living with mental health issues.
The “highest rates of stalking victimization” occur in persons ages 18 to 19 and 20 to 24. On college campuses, 3 in 10 college women report being injured emotionally or psychologically from being stalked.
Diagnostically, stalkers often fit within the spectrum of those with paranoid disorders. Intimacy-seeking stalkers include those who have erotomanic delusions, both secondary to preexisting psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and as part of a delusional disorder.
Using Stasis + on a charging up Guardian Stalker will stun them afterwards, even if not hit during stasis. If Link has the Master Sword he may use it to destroy a Guardian Stalker's legs in two strikes, effectively chaining the stun effect for easy damage.
There are six general categories that define stalking behavior, such as the rejected stalker, resentful stalker, predatory stalker, intimacy seeker, incompetent suitor, and erotomania and morbidly infatuated.
Plus, as Ellie experiences in the TV show, Stalkers are really hard to locate using the game's Listening Mode (your own version of echolocation that highlights enemies nearby).
The 5 main habits of a narcissist center on an inflated self-image, need for adoration, lack of empathy, sense of entitlement, and manipulative behavior, often seen as grandiosity, constant need for admiration, inability to understand others' feelings, expecting special treatment, and exploiting people for personal gain. These traits, rooted in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), create a cycle of seeking validation, demeaning others, and using manipulation for control.
The core feature of sadistic personality disorder was a pervasive pattern of 'cruel, demeaning, and aggressive behaviour, for the purpose of amusement or obtaining pleasure from the suffering of others' [13, p. 371].
The 5Ds are different methods – Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct – that you can use to support someone who's being harassed, emphasize that harassment is not okay, and demonstrate to people in your life that they have the power to make their community safer.
It can include insults, intimidation, manipulation, exclusion, or any pattern of behaviour designed to belittle, control, or destabilise someone. It's often called psychological harassment, emotional abuse, or workplace bullying, depending on the context.
Standing, loitering around victim's home, school, place of work etc. Seeking physical proximity by applying for jobs where victim work; joining same gym / church / professional / social / sports groups or clubs; moving into neighbourhood or building etc.