Limerence, hidden obsession, fixation, and rumination: a scoping review of human behaviour

Article


Bradbury, P., Short, E. and Bleakley, P. 2024. Limerence, hidden obsession, fixation, and rumination: a scoping review of human behaviour. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09674-x
TypeArticle
TitleLimerence, hidden obsession, fixation, and rumination: a scoping review of human behaviour
AuthorsBradbury, P., Short, E. and Bleakley, P.
Abstract

This systematic scoping review explores the behavioural state of limerence and the relationship it has with rumination as part of a precursory phase to stalking, for the purpose of identifying a trajectory in harmful human behaviour. The review also considers how limerence impacts those who experience it, as well as factors which serve as accelerants to this cognitive state. It examines cognitive disorders identifiable on the DSM-5, such as obsessive–compulsive disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and erotomania, and applies them to studies which conceptualise limerence as an obsessive behaviour. At present, there is extraordinarily limited literature focusing on this state of unrequited and intense human emotion towards another person—a phenomenon characterised by limited by self-awareness and restraint, yet also a state that involves obsession and fixation, sharing cognitive characteristics and behaviours intrinsically tied to stalking behaviours. This review argues that behaviours exhibited in a state of limerence can serve as the building blocks upon which more harmful, externally focused stalking behaviours could develop. This review identified that the emerging literature on limerence offers new and important insights into the psychology of obsessive desire as a precursor to other, more proximal forms of violence which warrant greater attention, as they do not fit into existing psychological classifications of obsession because these behaviours are motivated by a lack of reciprocation and rejection. The objective is not to label individuals experiencing limerence as deviant but, rather, to better understand how fixation and obsessive desire can be maintained in the absence of approach behaviours.

KeywordsLimerence; Stalking; Obsession; Fixation; Interpersonal violence; Pathways into offending
Sustainable Development Goals5 Gender equality
Middlesex University ThemeHealth & Wellbeing
PublisherSpringer
JournalJournal of Police and Criminal Psychology
ISSN0882-0783
Electronic1936-6469
Publication dates
Online25 Apr 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted08 Apr 2024
Deposited15 Aug 2024
Output statusPublished
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09674-x
Web of Science identifierWOS:001208155900001
LanguageEnglish
Permalink -

https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/1708y6

Download files


Publisher's version
s11896-024-09674-x.pdf
License: CC BY 4.0
File access level: Open

  • 51
    total views
  • 11
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

‘I had no choice’: adult neutralisation of online sexual engagement with children
Bradbury, P., Bleakley, P. and Martellozzo, E. 2024. ‘I had no choice’: adult neutralisation of online sexual engagement with children. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09645-2
Content moderator mental health, secondary trauma, and well-being: a cross-sectional study
Spence, R., Bifulco, A., Bradbury, P., Martellozzo, E. and DeMarco, J. 2024. Content moderator mental health, secondary trauma, and well-being: a cross-sectional study. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 27 (2), pp. 149-155. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2023.0298
Supporting digital key workers: Addressing the challenges faced by content moderators during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Martellozzo, E., Bleakley, P., Bradbury, P., Spence, R. and DeMarco, J. 2024. Supporting digital key workers: Addressing the challenges faced by content moderators during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management. 24 (2), pp. 212-228. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTPM.2024.137818
The psychological impacts of content moderation on content moderators: a qualitative study
Spence, R., Bifulco, A., Bradbury, P., Martellozzo, E. and DeMarco, J. 2023. The psychological impacts of content moderation on content moderators: a qualitative study. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace. 17 (4). https://doi.org/10.5817/cp2023-4-8
Moderating online child sexual abuse material (CSAM): does self-regulation work, or is greater state regulation needed?
Bleakley, P., Martellozzo, E., Spence, R. and DeMarco, J. 2023. Moderating online child sexual abuse material (CSAM): does self-regulation work, or is greater state regulation needed? European Journal of Criminology. 21 (2), pp. 231-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/14773708231181361
Panic, pizza and mainstreaming the alt-right: A social media analysis of Pizzagate and the rise of the QAnon conspiracy
Bleakley, P. 2023. Panic, pizza and mainstreaming the alt-right: A social media analysis of Pizzagate and the rise of the QAnon conspiracy. Current Sociology. 71 (3), pp. 509-525. https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921211034896
Content moderators’ strategies for coping with the stress of moderating content online
Spence, R., Harrison, A., Bradbury, P., Bleakley, P., Martellozzo, E. and DeMarco, J. 2023. Content moderators’ strategies for coping with the stress of moderating content online. Journal of Online Trust and Safety. 1 (5), pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.54501/jots.v1i5.91
The right tool for the job: evaluating police experiences of a pilot tool for responding to stalking
Bleakley, P., Frost, S., Bradbury, P., Short, E. and Martellozzo, E. 2023. The right tool for the job: evaluating police experiences of a pilot tool for responding to stalking. Policing: a Journal of Policy and Practice. 17. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paac022
Police responses to cyberstalking during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK
Martellozzo, E., Bleakley, P., Bradbury, P., Frost, S. and Short, E. 2022. Police responses to cyberstalking during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X221113452
Frontline response: exploring the impact of COVID‐19 on stalking behaviours
Short, E., Bradbury, P., Martellozzo, E., Frost, S. and Bleakley, P. 2022. Frontline response: exploring the impact of COVID‐19 on stalking behaviours. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. 37 (3), pp. 540-548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09514-w
“Lucky Boy!”; Public perceptions of child sexual offending committed by women
Bradbury, P. and Martellozzo, E. 2021. “Lucky Boy!”; Public perceptions of child sexual offending committed by women. Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice. 4 (2), pp. 160-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/25166069211060091
A new front in the history wars? Responding to Rubenhold’s feminist revision of the Ripper
Bleakley, P. 2021. A new front in the history wars? Responding to Rubenhold’s feminist revision of the Ripper. Criminology & Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895821992460
Accused of an "abominable crime": punishing homosexual blackmail threats in London, 1723–1823
Bleakley, P. 2021. Accused of an "abominable crime": punishing homosexual blackmail threats in London, 1723–1823. Crime, Law and Social Change. 75 (4), pp. 331-348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-020-09925-y
Whitechapel, dark city: performative recuperation of urban identity in Gilded Age Chicago’s Whitechapel Club
Bleakley, P. 2020. Whitechapel, dark city: performative recuperation of urban identity in Gilded Age Chicago’s Whitechapel Club. Urbanities: Journal of Urban Ethnography. 10 (2), pp. 56-70.
The cult of corruption: reframing organizational frameworks of police corruption from a cultic perspective
Bleakley, P. 2021. The cult of corruption: reframing organizational frameworks of police corruption from a cultic perspective. Deviant Behavior. 42 (5), pp. 565-577. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2020.1741775
Muddy waters: critiquing the historical criminology method in the investigation of the Smiley Face murders theory
Bleakley, P. 2021. Muddy waters: critiquing the historical criminology method in the investigation of the Smiley Face murders theory. Homicide Studies. 25 (3), pp. 273-292. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088767920948571
The trouble with squads: accounting for corruption in Australia’s specialist policing units
Bleakley, P. 2021. The trouble with squads: accounting for corruption in Australia’s specialist policing units. Criminal Justice Studies. 34 (1), pp. 115-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2020.1763985
'No action required': a historical pattern of inaction and discretion towards child sexual abuse in Queensland policing
Bleakley, P. 2020. 'No action required': a historical pattern of inaction and discretion towards child sexual abuse in Queensland policing. Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. 93 (2), pp. 109-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X19839281
A thin-slice of institutionalised police brutality: a tradition of excessive force in the Chicago Police Department
Bleakley, P. 2019. A thin-slice of institutionalised police brutality: a tradition of excessive force in the Chicago Police Department. Criminal Law Forum. 30 (4), pp. 425-449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10609-019-09378-6
'Naive Kid' or 'Viruoso of Deceit'?: Tabloid media parochialism and the trials of Amanda Knox
Bleakley, P. 2019. 'Naive Kid' or 'Viruoso of Deceit'?: Tabloid media parochialism and the trials of Amanda Knox. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. 19 (1), pp. 3-18.
The permanent evolution of democracy: Trotsky’s role in 21st century democratic activism
Bleakley, P. 2014. The permanent evolution of democracy: Trotsky’s role in 21st century democratic activism. in: Ware, H., Jenkins, B., Branagan, M. and Subedi, D. (ed.) Cultivating Peace: Contexts, Practices and Multidimensional Models Cambridge Scholars Press. pp. 315-331
The data and deviance: disintegrative shaming and exclusion in Queensland schools
Bleakley, P. and Bleakley, C. 2019. The data and deviance: disintegrative shaming and exclusion in Queensland schools. Interchange. 50 (4), pp. 537-548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-019-09374-0
Days of alt-rage: using the Weatherman movement to deconstruct the radicalisation of the alt-right
Bleakley, P. 2020. Days of alt-rage: using the Weatherman movement to deconstruct the radicalisation of the alt-right. Contemporary Politics. 26 (1), pp. 106-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2019.1663395
Big fish, small pond: NGO–corporate partnerships and corruption of the environmental certification process in Tasmanian aquaculture
Bleakley, P. 2019. Big fish, small pond: NGO–corporate partnerships and corruption of the environmental certification process in Tasmanian aquaculture. Critical Criminology. 28 (3), pp. 389-405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-019-09454-8
Football hooliganism, the death drive and Millwall fandom as symbolic masochism
Bleakley, P. 2018. Football hooliganism, the death drive and Millwall fandom as symbolic masochism. The Journal of Fandom Studies. 6 (3), pp. 225-241. https://doi.org/10.1386/jfs.6.3.225_1
A State of force: the repressive policing of contention in Queensland under Frederic Urquhart
Bleakley, P. 2018. A State of force: the repressive policing of contention in Queensland under Frederic Urquhart. Contention - The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest. 6 (2), pp. 44-64. https://doi.org/10.3167/cont.2018.060204
School resource officers, 'zero tolerance' and the enforcement of compliance in the American education system
Bleakley, P. and Bleakley, C. 2018. School resource officers, 'zero tolerance' and the enforcement of compliance in the American education system. Interchange. 49 (2), pp. 247-261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-018-9326-5
Situationism and the recuperation of an ideology in the era of Trump, fake news and post-truth politics
Bleakley, P. 2018. Situationism and the recuperation of an ideology in the era of Trump, fake news and post-truth politics. Capital and Class. 42 (3), pp. 419-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309816818759231
'Love me or hate me – I don’t care': Katie Hopkins, Celebrity Big Brother and the destruction of a negative image
Bleakley, P. 2016. 'Love me or hate me – I don’t care': Katie Hopkins, Celebrity Big Brother and the destruction of a negative image. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. 30 (4), pp. 419-432. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2016.1186605
Six o'clock closing and the growth of prostitution in Sydney, 1916-27
Bleakley, P. 2014. Six o'clock closing and the growth of prostitution in Sydney, 1916-27. Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society. 100 (2), pp. 176-193.
"500 tokens to go private": camgirls, cybersex and feminist entrepreneurship
Bleakley, P. 2014. "500 tokens to go private": camgirls, cybersex and feminist entrepreneurship. Sexuality & Culture. 18 (4), pp. 892-910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-014-9228-3
Fish in a barrel: police targeting of Brisbane’s ephemeral gay spaces in the pre-decriminalization era
Bleakley, P. 2019. Fish in a barrel: police targeting of Brisbane’s ephemeral gay spaces in the pre-decriminalization era. Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2019.1695424
Thine is the kingdom: reconceptualising the Latin Kings street gang through the prism of revolutionary vanguardism
Bleakley, P. 2019. Thine is the kingdom: reconceptualising the Latin Kings street gang through the prism of revolutionary vanguardism. International Journal of Contemporary Sociology. 56 (2), pp. 105-122.
Cleaning up the Dirty Squad: using the Obscene Publications Act as a weapon of social control
Bleakley, P. 2019. Cleaning up the Dirty Squad: using the Obscene Publications Act as a weapon of social control. State Crime Journal. 8 (1), pp. 19-38. https://doi.org/10.13169/statecrime.8.1.0019
Watching the watchers: Taskforce Argos and the evidentiary issues involved with infiltrating Dark Web child exploitation networks
Bleakley, P. 2018. Watching the watchers: Taskforce Argos and the evidentiary issues involved with infiltrating Dark Web child exploitation networks. Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. 92 (3), pp. 221-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X18801409
Internal politics at the Metropolitan Police and the detrimental impact of organisational dysfunction on the 1888 Jack the Ripper investigation
Bleakley, P. 2016. Internal politics at the Metropolitan Police and the detrimental impact of organisational dysfunction on the 1888 Jack the Ripper investigation. The Victorian. 4 (1), pp. 1-18.