Stalking behaviors and engineered presence

Definition

References to following, appearing uninvited, watching the residence or workplace, or knowledge that could only come from physical or technological surveillance.

How it operates

Statements showing knowledge of the target's location or activities that the target did not disclose, appearances at places the target did not announce, and use of physical trackers, vehicle location data, or smart-device alerts to establish presence.

Function

Demonstrate that the abuser remains aware of the target's movements and can materialize without warning.

Harm

The collapse of safe space; the target experiences no reliable boundary between public and private life and must constantly calculate the risk of being observed or found.

Why this is coercive control

Coincidental encounters that context clearly frames as accidental. The conduct here demonstrates that the abuser remains aware of the target's movements and can materialize without warning.

Constructed example

“Nice blue jacket today. You should smile more when you walk to your car.”

Fictitious. Written to illustrate the behavior. Not a case.