Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit

Brian H. Spitzberg is Senate Distinguished Professor in the School of Communication at San Diego State University. His primary areas of research involve interpersonal communication skills, jealousy, conflict, coercion, violence, and stalking. William R. Cupach is Professor Emeritus in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. His research pertains to problematic interactions in interpersonal relationships, including such contexts as embarrassing predicaments, relational transgressions, interpersonal conflict, social and relational aggression, obsessive relational pursuit, and stalking.

Winner, the 2015 Gerald R. Miller Book Award, presented by NCA’s Interpersonal Communication Division."The authors cast such a broad yet detailed net over their topic that I was able to immediately begin using the text in my own works on intimate partner violence, relationship intrusion, and former-partner stalking...I also plan to incorporate various sections of this text into my undergraduate interpersonal, abuse, gender, family, and sex courses. Spitzberg and Cupach comprehensively present ORI/stalking and then contextualize and apply their discussions in ways that victims, practitioners, scholars, and students will easily understand, and more importantly, can use.” —Jessica J. Eckstein, Western Connecticut State University, in Relationship Research News"This is an impressive endeavor that offers the most systematic and comprehensive review of the stalking literature that is currently available … It will definitely be an invaluable resource for scholars of stalking research."and more importantly, can use.” —Psychology of Women Quarterly Journal"Motivated and interested students and academics will find it worth persevering with as its comprehensive appraisal of the current literature makes it an invaluable reference in the field of stalking...As well as summarizing the general findings so far, [the authors] are fair in pointing out the weaknesses, assumptions and gaps in the literature and, importantly, valuable directions for research in the future.” —Rhys Davies, Imperial College London, UK, in International Journal of Social Psychiatry"...this work offers an outstanding summary and overview of relationship formation and provides constructive information regarding unwanted pursuit. The authors integrate information and research from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, criminal justice, sociology, and social work to help expand on the knowledge base currently available."—PsycINFO"...provides a thorough context for understanding and treating stalking behavior, including a focus on both victim and perpetrator."—Psychotherapy"In this book, Cupach and Spitzer provide the reader with a multidisciplinary framework for understanding the nature and impact of unwanted relationship pursuits. This book is an excellent resource for students and professionals alike who seek to gain knowledge about unwanted relational pursuits and stalking."—Journal of Couple & Relationship"This one of the most comprehensive and useful texts to be found on [obsessive relational intrusion (ORI) and stalking] constructs … There are myriad reasons to not only read it, but to add it to one’s library. The authors have given particular attention to all stalking/ORI research right up to the 2014 publication date, which makes it truly useful-for-researchers and advanced students of “relational dark side” literature.”—IARR - Relationship Research News“This particular text shows the authors excel – more so than many who write on these topics – in presenting almost all of the pertinent information a stalking/ORI literature-novice needs to understand the subfield … Overall, I found this text to be an impressive contribution to the area/s of ORI/stalking.” —IARR - Relationship Research News"The first edition of the book The Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit: From Attraction to Obsession and Stalking by Brian Spitzberg and William Cupach (2004) is a staple of stalking researchers and this second edition will be even more of a necessary resource… Spitzberg and Cupach succeed in the challenging attempt to tell the story of stalking, with disjunctive relational goals, negotiation of romantic interest, determining rejection, and decisions about why, when, and how to pursue targets.” —Sex Roles

• Chapter 1: The Evolution of Relationship Intimacy and Intrusion  Chapter 2: The Pursuit of Ordinary Relationships  Chapter 3: The Demography and Prevalence of Stalking  Chapter 4: The Topography of Stalking and Unwanted Pursuit  Chapter 5: Explaining Unwanted Pursuit  Chapter 6: The Effects of Stalking and Unwanted Pursuit  Chapter 7: Managing Unwanted Pursuit: Mapping Risk Management  Chapter 8: Assessing Unwanted Pursuit and Stalking