One Direction's Liam Payne Joins Justin Bieber Coping with Fan Stalking 101

It seems like the best job in the world, being a famous pop star-- getting paid to do what you love, travelling, getting sponsored clothes and parties, the list goes on and on.

But fame often takes a dark turn when the issue of privacy and boundaries comes into question. One Direction's Liam Payne learned this lesson when he left his wet boxers out to dry on a hotel balcony. One minute he's just relaxing on his bed, the next, he came face to face with a girl who scaled the wall of his hotel just to get a glimpse of him. Understandably, Payne feels violated and scared, much like the few other celebrities who have come across their own stalkers.

Late in 2012, a convicted murderer was found to have plans of killing and castrating Justin Bieber. Bieber's ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, also experienced a terrible stalking incident when she received death threats from her stalker. Jodie Foster's stalker was found not guilty of shooting former U.S. president Ronald Reagan by plea of insanity. Sometimes, fans take things a little too far and end up with terrifying results.

Stalking 101

Stalkers often tend to have a perverse obsession for the object of their affections, deluding themselves into thinking that they have a personal relationship with their idols.

The stalking starts small with gifts and letters as a bid for attention. When unsuccessful, the behaviour escalates into more intrusive forms of spying and forceful entry into a person's life.

There is no specific cause as to how and why this form of attachment becomes ingrained in the stalker's mind, just as there is no sure way to rehabilitate a stalker. Stalkers are frequently found to have some kind of mental illness such as depression, personality disorder or substance abuse.

Living in the eye of the public can be stressful enough but when coupled with a fixated fan, the situation turns from slightly surreal to just plain dangerous. The fact that even anti-stalking laws cannot keep you safe is indeed one of those steep prices to pay for fame.