The electronic leash

More and more the issue of phone tracking has come up in therapy. Parents are tracking their kids and romantic partners are tracking each other and employers are tracking their employees and marketers are tracking customers.

It is easy to download tracking apps for phones and other electronic devices and simply to monitor a phone's location when the app is turned on which many websites request and sometimes every require.

Placing people under surveillance and stalking raises questions such as: Are people with certain types of personalities more likely to surveil and stalk than others? When is surveilling and stalking another appropriate? To what extent is stalking an indicator of the qualities of trust and security in a relationship?

Surveilling and stalking others electronically is a generational thing. It was not unheard of but very difficult before the advent of cell phone technology. Now the practice is ubiquitous. Some have called it putting others on an electronic leash.

Coupled with the ability to tract is the ability to text which many insist calls for an immediate response. A person who resists this is considered rude, guilty, uncaring and contributes to conflict.

People who are insecure and rejection sensitive suffer the most from the availability of this technology. The desire for reassurance and contact is often insatiable unless there are clear, consistent limits placed on the need to surveil, stalk and obtain immediate connection.

In general the use of this technology to surveil, stalk, locate, and contact others may have more disadvantages than advantages and should be used only with clear understanding of the purpose and consent of the parties involved.

In most cases, especially in romantic relationships the use of surveillance technology is a bad idea because it erodes the trust and peace of the parties involved.