“You Want to Catch the Biggest Thing Going in the Ocean”: A Qualitative Analysis of Intimate Partner Stalking

Abstract

This study employs a qualitative phenomenological exploration of the “lived” experiences of male intimate partner stalking (IPS) perpetrators serving a custodial sentence in the United Kingdom for an offense related to intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of this study is to capture the nature and complexity of the experiences of the pathway to IPS from the perspective of the perpetrator. The study seeks to provide a unique understanding of how IPS perpetrators attribute meaning to their behavior, illuminating the underpinning cognitive characteristics and emotions that play a role in their behavior. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven men with a history of IPS behavior. The resultant transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Five superordinate themes reflecting participants’ experiences were identified: (a) “The quest for attention and affection creating connection,”(b) “Conflicted identity and extremes of self,” (c) “My life, a film set,” (d) “Gameplaying: One step ahead,” and (e) “Severed connections, changing the Gameplay.” The findings are presented in relation to the existing literature and theoretical frameworks which seek to explain stalking perpetration. The analysis provides a greater understanding of men who have engaged in IPS behavior, demonstrating how hearing the perspective of the perpetrator has value in informing theory and intervention. The study has provided valuable insight into the cognitive characteristics of this population and a rich understanding of the profiles of men who have engaged in IPS behavior. Implications for forensic practice, policy, and research are outlined, and recommendations for future research and overall limitations are discussed.

Fear, helplessness, pain, anger: The narrated emotions of intimate femicide perpetrators in Latin America

“…Arguably, the narrated emotions of the intimate femicide perpetrators in our study illustrate how patriarchy as a social structure is mechanised subjectively, and also how embodied emotions maintain dominant social relationships. The fact that the narrative expressions in this study are so widespread indicates that they reflect hegemonic stories of gender, society, and intimate relationships – that again foster these emotions (Flowers et al, 2020). Thus, when emotions are felt and narrated, these are necessarily linked to a cultural stock of knowledge which is available for actors to use, reconfigure, and strategise with.…”

“…Studies focused on the perpetrators have been mainly restricted to non-lethal violence, such as violence in young partners (Berggren et al, 2021), stalking (Flowers et al, 2020), sexual offences (Weldon, 2016), rape (Segato, 2003), and other situations (Apiribu et al, 2020). Researchers, such as Watt (2011), have connected violence to childhood adverse experiences and psychosocial scholars argue that experiences of abuse may cause trauma, thus creating conflicting emotions that in turn may lead to violence against women (Gadd, 2000).…”

Domestic Violence Survivorship Among a Sample of Older African American Women: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

“…According to Smith and colleagues (2009), “the issue is quality, not quantity, and given the complexity of most human phenomena, IPA studies usually benefit from a concentrated focus on a small number of cases” (p. 51). Interpretative phenomenological analysis has been used in several robust studies of interpersonal violence with small samples including research by Cram (2018) ( N = 6), Flowers et al, 2020 ( N = 7), and Joscelyne (2018) ( N = 5).…”