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Gang stalking

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Targeted individual" redirects here. For assassinations, see Targeted killing. For surveillance operations, see Targeted surveillance. For delusions of electronic harassment, see Electronic harassment.
For bullying of an individual by a group, see Mobbing.

"Gang stalking" is a phenomenon where individuals believe they are being followed, stalked, and harassed by a large number of people.[1] Studies have determined that most cases are highly likely to be delusional in nature, and the phenomenon is considered a persecutory belief system.

The term is associated with the "targeted individual" (T.I.) virtual community formed by like-minded individuals who claim their lives are disrupted from being stalked by organized groups intent on causing them harm.[2][3] Researchers have suggested that online communities could be a catalyst for the experience.

Emergence of the term

People began reporting gang stalking after the year 2000.[4] "Stalking" itself was a socially new concept which people began to report starting in the 1980s.[4] Both of these experiences are culture specific, so people talk about them differently in different times, places, and circumstances.[4]

A 2016 article in The New York Times estimated that more than 10,000 people were participating in online communities "organized around the conviction that its members are victims of a sprawling conspiracy to harass thousands of everyday Americans with mind-control weapons and armies of so-called gang stalkers".[2] The article identified a 2015 paper by Sheridan and James entitled "Complaints of group-stalking ('gang-stalking'): an exploratory study of their nature and impact on complainants" as the only scientific study of the topic at the time.[5][2]

"Targeted Individual" community

One cause for the rise in reports of gang stalking is Internet connectivity.[6] As distressed people are able to share information throughout the community, more people report their own impressions.[6] There are online forums where people who believe to be targeted share their experiences among each other.[7] News reports have described how groups of Internet users have cooperated to exchange detailed conspiracy theories involving gang stalking.[2] Some psychiatrists and psychologists say "Web sites that amplify reports of mind control and group stalking" are "an extreme community that may encourage delusional thinking" and represent "a dark side of social networking. They may reinforce the troubled thinking of the mentally ill and impede treatment."[8][9] A 2020 study established a framework to classify and examine the phenomenon of individuals who suffer the subjective experience of being gang stalked, confirmed the subsequent "serious" sequelae of their experience, and recommended further research.[4]

Persecutory delusion

Those who believe they are victims report that they believe the motivation for the gang stalking is to disrupt every part of their lives.[2] The activities involved are described as including electronic harassment, the use of "psychotronic weapons", and other alleged mind control techniques. These have largely been reported by external observers as being examples of belief systems as opposed to reports of objective phenomena.[10] Among the community of targeted individuals, gang stalking is described as a shared experience where the gang stalkers all coordinate to harass individuals, and the individuals share their victim experiences with each other.[11][12][13]

A study from Australia and the United Kingdom by Lorraine Sheridan and David James[14] compared 128 self-defined victims of 'gang-stalking' with a randomly selected group of 128 self-declared victims of stalking by an individual. All 128 'victims' of gang-stalking were judged to be delusional, compared with only 3.9% of victims of individual-stalking. There were highly significant differences between the two samples on depressive symptoms, post-traumatic symptomatology and adverse impact on social and occupational function, with the self-declared victims of gang-stalking being more severely affected. The authors concluded that "group-stalking appears to be delusional in basis, but complainants suffer marked psychological and practical sequelae. This is important in the assessment of risk in stalking cases, early referral to psychiatric services and allocation of police resources."[14]

One report found that some who claimed to be targeted individuals have acted out with violence, sometimes extreme.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lustig, A; Brookes, G; Hunt, D (5 March 2021). "Linguistic Analysis of Online Communication About a Novel Persecutory Belief System (Gangstalking): Mixed Methods Study". Journal of Medical Internet Research. 23 (3): e25722. doi:10.2196/25722. PMC 7980115. PMID 33666560.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mcphate, Mike (10 June 2016). "United States of Paranoia: They See Gangs of Stalkers". The New York Times. New York City. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. ^ Flatley, Joseph (2 February 2017). "Paranoid delusions in the police state".
  4. ^ a b c d Sheridan, L; James, DV; Roth, J (6 April 2020). "The Phenomenology of Group Stalking ('Gang-Stalking'): A Content Analysis of Subjective Experiences". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17 (7): 2506. doi:10.3390/ijerph17072506. PMC 7178134. PMID 32268595.
  5. ^ Sheridan, Lorraine P.; James, David V. (3 September 2015). "Complaints of group-stalking ('gang-stalking'): an exploratory study of their nature and impact on complainants". The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. 26 (5): 601–623. doi:10.1080/14789949.2015.1054857. S2CID 143326215.
  6. ^ a b Dietrich, Elizabeth (1 January 2015). "Gang stalking : internet connectivity as an emerging mental health concern". Theses, Dissertations, and Projects. Smith College.
  7. ^ Tait, Amelia (7 August 2020). ""Am I going crazy or am I being stalked?" Inside the disturbing online world of gangstalking". MIT Technology Review.
  8. ^ Kershaw, Sarah (12 November 2008). "Sharing Their Demons on the Web". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  9. ^ Weinberger, Sharon (14 January 2007). "Mind Games". The Washington Post. Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  10. ^ Kiberd, Roisin (22 July 2016). "The Nightmarish Online World of 'Gang-Stalking'". Motherboard. Vice.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  11. ^ Pierre, Joe (20 October 2020). "Gang Stalking: Real-Life Harassment or Textbook Paranoia?". Psychology Today.
  12. ^ Pierre, Joe (October 31, 2020). "Gang Stalking: Conspiracy, Delusion, and Shared Belief". Psychology Today.
  13. ^ Pierre, Joe (November 16, 2020). "Gang Stalking: A Case of Mass Hysteria?". Psychology Today.
  14. ^ a b Sheridan, Lorraine P.; James, David V. (3 September 2015). "Complaints of group-stalking ('gang-stalking'): an exploratory study of their nature and impact on complainants". The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. Abingdon, England: Routledge. 26 (5): 601–623. doi:10.1080/14789949.2015.1054857. ISSN 1478-9949. S2CID 143326215.
  15. ^ Sarteschi, Christine M. (March 2018). "Mass Murder, Targeted Individuals, and Gang-Stalking: Exploring the Connection". Violence and Gender. 5 (1): 45–54. doi:10.1089/vio.2017.0022.

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