A Guide to Stockholm Syndrome: Loving your Captors

On August 23rd, 1973 two rifle wielding robbers approached a bank in Stockholm, Sweden. Firing their weapons, the prison escapees frightened bank workers, screaming "The party has just began!". The pair of criminals took four people hostage, one man and three ladies. While held captive, the victims were strapped with explosives, until finally rescued 131 hours later.

After 5 traumatic days of abuse and fear, the prisoners showed questionable attitudes towards their captives. Post rescue interviews showed that the prisoners had started to feel the captors were really shielding them from law enforcement. The 'bond' created with their captives were so strong one woman started a defence fund in order to pay for defence fees and later became engaged to one of her kidnappers.

As a consequence of the media attention centred around this case, the mental condition exhibited by hostages towards captors was coined "stockholm syndrome". However, this emotional 'bonding' can be seen through many human examples reported in psychological research, such as:

• Child abuse
• Children of incest
• Cults
• Hostages
• Pows
• Nazi concentration camps
• Spousal & marital abuse (physical and emotional)

In fact, this bonding with one’s captives has strategic value for survival in hostage & abusive situations. In the United States, hostage negotiators do not view ‘stockholm syndrome’ as uncommon and may even recommend this as a method of increasing one’s chances of surviving. A drawback to this of course, is the guarantee of encountering ‘stockholm syndrome’ and situations where captives are not helpful to prosecution or rescue. The trend of spousal abuse victims refusing to prosecute husbands or boyfriends falls within the domain of emotional bonding between a person in a position of power and their victims.

In order to understand the relationship between Stockholm Syndrome and abuse, the behaviours and symptoms must be examined:

• Negativity toward ‘rescuers’
• Positivity toward abuser
• Internalisation of the abusers rationale
• Feeling of love toward the victim by the abusive party
• A support net for the abuser by the victim
• An inability to detach or remove oneself from the abuser or relationship

It is important to note that Stockholm Syndrome is not synonymous with abusive or hostage situations. Duration of time exposed to the abuser or kidnapper is one of many variables which may dictate the formation of Stockholm Syndrome. Another example of a bank hostage situation ended with the shooting of a robber. Two female hostages were observed holding the perpetrator up against the window so police could fire another round.

The four reported conditions needed in order to build the prerequisites for the development of Stockholm Syndrome are as follows:

• A perceived possibility of harm to one’s self by the abuser
• An act of kindness or an olive branch from the abuser toward the victim
• A long enough duration of time or confinement with the abuser in order to internalise their perspective
• A view that liberation is not attainable

I will write about one or two famous situations in which Stockholm Syndrome was seen if my steemian’s appreciate this post.