Rachael Wheatley and Alan Underwood
This paper aims to consider stalking as an offending behaviour and the prevailing narratives associated with this offending behaviour given the increased attention of society and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to consider stalking as an offending behaviour and the prevailing narratives associated with this offending behaviour given the increased attention of society and criminal justice. The stereotypes and labels associated with the offending behaviour often sensationalise aspects of those who engage in stalking. Frequently, individuals are portrayed as disturbed, psychopathic, mentally ill, violent and culturally deviant. Sometimes stalking behaviour is perversely downplayed as romantic perseverance. The impact of the stalker label extends outward from the act of marking legal and societal transgression, which impacts upon prospects for rehabilitation and desistance through the shaping of assumptions and maintenance of disempowering connotations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper considers the impact of the stalking label as a therapeutic-, and perhaps rehabilitation-interfering problem for those who have stalked, drawing on recent research by Wheatley, Winder and Kuss (2020a).
Findings
It discusses the wide-ranging implications of labelling in this context and considers therapeutic approaches for intervention that may encourage rehabilitation engagement, mitigate shame and support desistance from a strengths-based perspective.
Originality/value
This paper draws on recent research exploring stalking case narratives of their own experiences of what drives stalking behaviour, existing labelling literature, and on specialist practitioners’ experiences of working with this group, to influence future thinking and research to address nuances highlighted.
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Tanya McDonnaugh, Alan Underwood and Amanda Williams
The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) conditionally discharged from secure hospitals on a restrictive Section of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) conditionally discharged from secure hospitals on a restrictive Section of the Mental Health Act (Section 37/41).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were derived from seven semi-structured interviews from three forensic community teams.
Findings
Thematic analysis identified seven predominant themes: (1) the uncertainty of the discharge timeframe; (2) fear of jeopardising discharge; (3) progress; (4) engagement with community life; (5) barriers to social engagement; (6) evolving identity and (7) someone to turn to. Findings are discussed in relation to the recovery model and the good lives model.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the importance of fostering trust between MDOs and their care teams to encourage help-seeking. They also suggest that resources should be sequenced appropriately throughout the discharge process, to match the “window of engagement” and maximize impact and effectiveness.
Originality/value
This research gained rarely obtained first-hand perspectives from MDOs, with the findings contributing to a more effective evaluation of the discharge pathway.
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Jon‐Arild Johannessen, Johan Olaisen, Jon‐Arild Johannessen and Bjørn Olsen
In the knowledge economy, where the business environment is characterised by turbulence and complexity, knowledge is the main source of creating both innovation and sustainable…
Abstract
In the knowledge economy, where the business environment is characterised by turbulence and complexity, knowledge is the main source of creating both innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. This paper describes a conceptual model and an associated set of managerial and organising implications for the innovation‐led company. The question we are trying to answer is: which management and organising characteristics are necessary to manage innovation in the knowledge economy? The paper is based on in‐depth interviews of 32 CEOs and top executives in leading European organisations, 40 people known internationally for their ability to achieve and maintain a position among the top performers in their fields, and a “best practice study” of five leading international companies.
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There is an absence of qualitative research with individuals who have stalked. This special issue of articles draws on one study, rich with the meaning-making of experts by…
Abstract
Purpose
There is an absence of qualitative research with individuals who have stalked. This special issue of articles draws on one study, rich with the meaning-making of experts by experience. That is, people who have stalked, been convicted and detained in UK prisons. The purpose of this issue is to provide forensic practitioners with an overview of current considerations for intervening with individuals who stalk. It does this by drawing together empirically derived interpreted experiences of men who stalk, expanding key discussions with expert practitioners in the field, working with those who stalk. It highlights current thinking on the psychology of stalking and multidisciplinary options for risk management. Furthermore, it provides an overview of necessary future directions.
Design/methodology/approach
Research findings from a recent, novel, mixed methods study (Wheatley, 2019 and Wheatleya et al., 2020) are discussed with other experienced stalking practitioners in the UK for reflection and discussion. The papers synthesise the research findings, existing psychological literature and practitioner experience to discuss implications for psychological practice with those who stalk.
Findings
The key findings resonated with current practitioners, providing a springboard for expanding thinking around stalking and crucial themes such as narcissistic vulnerability, deterrence, labelling and developing alternative meaningful activities.
Research limitations/implications
In providing this marriage of experiential expert insights, this Special Issue advances the practice of psychology in relation to those who stalk, having clear applications to the processes of risk assessment, intervention and management. Pivotally, how to enhance engagement opportunities to develop working and therapeutic relationships.
Originality/value
This issue introduces new subtopics, some of which have never been written about before. It provides discussion papers marrying research with practitioner experience, with a focus on practical applications within criminal psychology and future directions.
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Previous research has found that people who use anabolic androgenic steroids (hereafter ‘steroids’) typically describe these drugs as safe. However, research exploring the inside…
Abstract
Previous research has found that people who use anabolic androgenic steroids (hereafter ‘steroids’) typically describe these drugs as safe. However, research exploring the inside perspective on steroid risk has focussed on steroids in general, and failed to examine how particular steroids are viewed and experienced. During my online ethnographic research in bodybuilding communities, I found discussion of one particular steroid said to cause significant physical, psychological, social and sexual harm: trenbolone. Trenbolone is a veterinary drug used to increase muscle in beef cattle that has been found to have neurodegenerative and genotoxic effects on animals. It has been used by bodybuilders since the 1980s, and recent research has found it to be one of the most popular steroids used by bodybuilders. If trenbolone is described by bodybuilders as causing significant harm, why do so many bodybuilders use it? This chapter attempts to answer this question through a description of bodybuilder folk models of trenbolone risk. Using a social life of drugs approach it describes: (1) the effects of trenbolone; (2) how these effects are given meaning as either harms or benefits, and then weighed against each other; (3) how the risks of trenbolone are reduced through harm reduction strategies and (4) the role of online communities in negotiations of trenbolone risk. Trenbolone was found to occupy a mythical status in bodybuilding communities, in part because of the conflicted relationship bodybuilders have with the drug. This conflicted relationship illustrates the inherent ambivalence of drugs, which are always both remedy and poison.
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Pravin Singare, Ram Lokhande, Mahadeo Andhale and Raghunath Acharya
Elemental analysis of these medicinal plants was performed by employing Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. The…
Abstract
Elemental analysis of these medicinal plants was performed by employing Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. The samples were irradiated with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor and the induced radio activity was counted by gamma ray spectrometry using an efficiency calibrated high resolution High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. Most of the medicinal plants were found to be rich in one or more of the elements under study. The variation in elemental concentration in same medicinal plant samples collected from different regions was studied and the biological effects of these elements on human beings are discussed. The study was also extended further to estimate the level of toxic elements like Cr, Cd, Ni, Pb and Hg in medicinal plants which arises due to environmental pollution. The results were discussed with careful reference to established role of essential and rare elements to the physiology and pathology of plant and human life.