Generality
Stockholm Syndrome is the name of the particular psychological condition that leads victims of abduction to sympathize with their captors.
The causes of the Stockholm syndrome are not clear; studies on the subject, however, have shown that in all cases of Stockholm syndrome there were 4 situations, which are:
- Development by the hostage of positive feelings towards the kidnapper;
- No previous relationship between hostage and kidnapper;
- Development of negative feelings towards the rescue authorities by the hostage;
- Confidence of the hostage in the humanity of those who kidnap him.
The kidnapped who develops the Stockholm syndrome exhibits quite unique behaviors, including for example: feeling sympathy, attachment or other similar feelings towards his abductor; refuse to run away, even if you have the chance; refuse to cooperate with the police; try to please the kidnapper; defend the kidnapper's work; refuse to testify against the kidnapper.
Stockholm syndrome is not a psychiatric disease and does not require any specific therapy.
What is Stockholm Syndrome?
Stockholm Syndrome is the expression used to indicate the paradoxical situation, in which the victim (s) of a seizure become attached to their or their captors, even in spite of an initially violent behavior by the latter.
The Stockholm syndrome represents a paradox of human behavior: the hostage that is affected, in fact, feels sympathy, understanding, empathy, trust, attachment and sometimes even love towards his captor, when instead it would be more logical for him to try, at light of the mistreatment suffered, feelings like hatred, aversion, antipathy, willingness not to subject oneself etc.
Although the experts describe it as a psychological condition, the Stockholm syndrome does not have the indispensable requisites for being included in psychiatric manuals and even in a psychiatric classification relating to mental illnesses: the criticism of Stockholm syndrome as a psychiatric pathology comes from the lack of studies scientific on the subject and from the fact that feelings such as affection, sympathy, etc. the symptoms of a mental illness cannot be considered, even if tried against a kidnapper.
Did you know that ...
During the drafting of the 5th and last edition of the DSM (the most important diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders), the psychiatric community involved in this work had considered the possibility of inserting the Stockholm syndrome in a particular section of the book, but he then opted to exclude it as in all previous editions.
The Stockholm syndrome is an example of Traumatic Bonding
Experts describe the Stockholm syndrome as an example of a traumatic link ; by definition, traumatic ties are the bonds between two people, in which one of them enjoys a position of power towards the other, which becomes a victim of aggressive attitudes and other types of violence.
Origin of the name: why is it called Stockholm Syndrome?
The Stockholm syndrome owes its name to a news story, which occurred in Sweden on August 23, 1973 .
On that day, at around 10:15 am, two robbers entered a bank in Stockholm and took four employees hostage for a full 5 days.
They were very intense days, in which, while the police treated the release of the prisoners, a relationship of mutual affection was born between the latter and the two kidnappers and the desire to protect themselves with each other.
The feeling of mutual affection became so important that, at the end of the whole affair (which resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of the robbers), the employees went to prison several times to visit the kidnappers; it even happened that one of them divorced her husband and married one of the two robbers.
Causes
The precise cause of the Stockholm syndrome is not clear .
Studies on the subject, however, have shown that in all cases of Stockholm syndrome there were 4 situations, defined, in hindsight, as " determinants " for the birth in the hostage of a sympathy (if not also a stronger positive feeling ) towards the kidnapper; these 4 situations are:
- Development by the hostage of positive feelings (eg: sympathy, understanding, etc.) towards his captor;
- No previous relationship between hostage and kidnapper (in other words, before the kidnapping, hostage and kidnapper they didn't know each other);
- Development, by the hostage, of negative feelings towards the government authorities charged with providing for the release and arrest of the kidnapper;
- Confidence of the hostage in the humanity of those who kidnap him (in other words, the hostage believes in the humanity of his captor).
Some more details on the Causes of Stockholm Syndrome
- The positive feelings that contribute to the development of the Stockholm syndrome are generally the consequence of acts of kindness on the part of the kidnapper towards the hostage (eg: guaranteeing food, leaving the possibility of using toilets, etc.)
Positive feelings, therefore, are an expression of gratitude towards a favor received.
From studies on human behavior it emerged that, during a kidnapping, the courtesies, acts of kindness and favors coming from the aggressor can have an impact on the psyche of the hostage, such as to induce the latter to overlook his condition of victim and on the fact that someone is depriving him of his freedom;
- At the origin of the negative feelings that the hostage elaborates against the savior is the sharing with the kidnapper of a situation of isolation from the outside world .
In other words, triggering in the hostile aversion towards those who have the task of saving it is being isolated from the external environment, in the place of the kidnapper;
The negative feelings towards the saviors bring the hostage close to the kidnapper so much, that often the victim ends up helping, in case of need, his kidnapper;
- In a more advanced stage of the seizure, when a certain degree of sympathy / attachment has already been created, feeding the hostage aversion towards the savior is the fear that the latter may harm the kidnapper;
- What leads the hostage to believe in the humanity of his captor is not so much to look for in the behavior of the latter, but rather in the gestures of violence that he could commit but which in fact DOES NOT commit .
In other words, the hostage believes that the kidnapper is endowed with humanity, because this does not reserve him a violent treatment or reserves him a less violent treatment than in reality he could;
- According to the experts, an important situation favoring (but not indispensable) the development of the Stockholm syndrome would be the prolonged duration of the seizure .
A prolonged seizure, in fact, would cause the hostage to know his kidnapper more thoroughly, become familiar with him, strengthen sympathy and attachment to him, begin to feel dependent on him for food and other daily needs, feel grateful for not having done more harm to him or having spared his life, etc.
Did you know that ...
Fearing the Stockholm syndrome (a too confidential relationship between hostage and kidnapper can lead to the failure of the whole plan), the organizers of kidnapping and robbery recommend to those who act on their behalf to always have a rude and violent attitude, and they plan to continually exchange men for their service, so that the hostage has no way and time to establish a relationship with a single kidnapper.
Who is more at Risk of Stockholm Syndrome?
Stockholm syndrome is more common in women, children, people particularly devoted to a particular cult, prisoners of war and prisoners of concentration camps .
Epidemiology
According to the FBI - the famous US federal police investigation agency - about 8% of cases of kidnapping are characterized by the phenomenon of Stockholm syndrome.
Symptoms
What are the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome?
In the hostages that develop it, the Stockholm syndrome manifests itself with some typical behaviors, which are:
- Demonstrate sympathy, affection, attachment and sometimes even love towards the kidnapper;
- Refusing to run away from the kidnapper or children, even if they have the chance;
- Refuse to cooperate with the police and any other governmental rescue authority;
- Trying to please the kidnappers (this is more frequent behavior in female hostages);
- Justify / defend the work of the kidnapper;
- Collaborate with / subject to the will of the kidnapper.
Curiosity: the most famous cases of Stockholm syndrome
Among the best known cases of Stockholm syndrome, they deserve a quotation:
- The already described story of a bank robbery in Stockholm.
- The story of Jaycee Dugard . The Californian Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped and held captive for 18 years by Philip Garrido and his wife Nancy (the seizure began in June 1991). In this long span of time, although suffering from sexual abuse (from which two children were born), Jaycee agreed to be part of the family that had kidnapped her, even participating in the social activities of the Garrido spouses and without trying to escape, even when he had the chance.
- The story of Natascha Kampusch . Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian national, was abducted by Wolfgang Přiklopil on March 2, 1998, at the age of 10, and held prisoner for about 8 years; in this time frame, Natascha had occasion to escape several times, but preferred to remain with the kidnapper, since, according to him, the latter did not miss anything (in an interview after the release, he claimed to be sorry for the death of Wolfang, which occurred by suicide).
Curious is the event of the release of Natascha: the girl escaped from her kidnapper following a dispute and not the desire for freedom.
Symptoms of the Stockholm release syndrome occurred
Upon liberation, the Stockholm syndrome can bring the person who developed it to: refuse to testify against the kidnapper; feeling guilty about the imprisonment of the kidnapper; to visit his or her captors in prison; remain hostile towards the police and other government authorities with similar tasks; organize a fundraiser to help the kidnapper locked up in jail.
Did you know that ...
Some former abductees who developed the Stockholm syndrome said they continue to sympathize with their captors, despite the fact that their act had caused such a shock that they continued to have nightmares about the story.
Diagnosis
Stockholm syndrome is not a psychiatric condition, therefore no criteria are available for its diagnosis approved by a medical community and with a solid scientific basis.
Therapy
There is no specific therapeutic plan for those who develop Stockholm syndrome; in fact, time re-establishes normality in the psyche of the victim of kidnapping.
The importance of the Family in Stockholm Syndrome
Experts in human behavior consider the support and affection of family members to be essential for overcoming the consequences related to the Stockholm syndrome.
