Stalking as a mental illness VS Sociopathic Stalking

What is Stalking? 

At its core, stalking consists of a persons repeated and obsessive attempts to gain control of another person. Stalkers terrify their victims.

There are stalkers who are delusional, and may not really know their victim, but have created a fantasy in their disturbed mind, that the victim is in love or was in a previous relationship with them. 

The other kind of stalker is not so delusional, but very dangerous. They do know their victim personally. They were in a relationship with the victim at one time. The victim has rejected the stalker, and is trying to move on with their life. The stalker becomes infuriated that they cannot control the victim any longer. 

On the lower end of the stalker spectrum.  Stalkers will make repeated phone calls, obsessively email the victim. In more extreme stalker manifestations, the stalker might involve repeatedly going to a person’s house, making threats against a person, harming pets, stealing possessions, or interfering with a person’s relationships with friends, family, or coworkers. Stalkers may alternate between patterns of verbal threats, domestic violence and attempts to destroy their victims reputation. 

Stalkers often believe that they “love” their victims and occasionally say they stalk to keep others safe. For example, a character disturbed ex-wife might say she is the victim of her ex-husband, or of the ex husbands new wife. If there are children involved she will use the children to ensure she’s remains in control of her ex-husbands life. 
Psychologically, however, stalking is a crime of control. Stalkers see their victims as possessions who are rightfully theirs, and stalking behavior is frequently activated by a breakup or an ex-partner’s new relationship.