Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed. The syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, in which the bank robbers held bank employees hostage from August 23 to August 28, 1973. In this case, the victims became emotionally attached to their captors, and even defended them after they were freed from their six-day ordeal. The term "Stockholm Syndrome" was coined by the criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who assisted the police during the robbery, and referred to the syndrome in a news broadcast. [1] In 2007, a group of scholars studied twelve highly publicized cases of Stockholm syndrome, publishing their results in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia. They argued that, as the media accounts lacked "access to primary sources" or an "identification of a pattern of features exhibited in Stockholm syndrome," the characterization of any of these events as Stockholm syndrome could have been due to reporting bias. [2]

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Psychological explanations

One theory to explain the Stockholm syndrome is cognitive dissonance. Specifically, people don't like being unhappy for long periods of time, but when people are kidnapped for a long period of time, they will be unhappy for that time, unless they come to love their captors. Thus, to resolve the cognitive dissonance, the victim may begin to identify with the captors. ^[3]

Psychoanalytic explanations

The Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological shift that occurs in captives when they are threatened gravely but shown acts of kindness by their captors. Captives who exhibit the syndrome tend to sympathize with and think highly of their captors, at times believing that the captors are showing them favor stemming from inherent kindness. Such captives fail to recognize that their captors' choices are essentially self-serving. When subjected to prolonged captivity, these captives can develop a strong bond with their captors, in some cases including a sexual interest.

According to the psychoanalytic view of the syndrome, this tendency might be the result of employing the strategy evolved by newborn babies to form an emotional attachment to the nearest powerful adult in order to maximize the probability that this adult will enable — at the very least — the survival of the child, if not also prove to be a good parental figure. This syndrome is considered a prime example for the defence mechanism of identification. ^[4]

Evolutionary explanations

The syndrome has also been explained in evolutionary terms. Historically raptio (e.g. Rape of the Sabine women) and bride kidnapping have been (and still are in some places) very common practices. Women who were kidnapped and consistently fought back were likely to be killed or imprisoned and thus not have children. But women who bonded with and submitted to their captors were more likely to have children and their children were more likely to receive the genes that made their mothers more passive and bonding towards their captors. And over several generations, this made the population of humans more genetically prone to submission and bonding when kidnapped.

In many cases, capture may also involve the killing of the captive's relatives, thereby isolating the captive. The captive is subjected to isolation and so sees even a small act, such as providing amenities, as a great favor. Such captives may side with their captors while believing their captors have conferred on them great importance and love. Furthermore, captives who perceive themselves as the only members of their group not to have been killed may believe that they have been shown a special interest.

Examples

• Millionaire heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. After two months in captivity, she actively took part in a robbery they were orchestrating. Her unsuccessful legal defense suggested that she suffered from Stockholm Syndrome and was coerced into aiding the SLA. She was convicted and imprisoned for her actions in the robbery, though her sentence was commuted in February 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, and she received a Presidential pardon from Bill Clinton.
• Shawn Hornbeck was kidnapped at age 11 in 2002 and held for four years by Michael J. Devlin in Missouri. Shawn Hornbeck started using Devlin's last name and despite talking to police on two separate occasions about other unrelated matters, did not seek the assistance of law enforcement. Many questions were raised in the media reports surrounding his rescue in January 2007 about why he did not speak out earlier, leading to reported speculation that he suffered from Stockholm Syndrome. Other victims of sexual abuse and kidnapping have expressed their understanding and support his decisions not to make an attempt to escape. ^[5]
• Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted from a school bus stop within sight of her home in South Lake Tahoe, California at the age of 11. She was freed in August 2009 after 18 years in captivity. She had been held captive in makeshift tents and huts in a backyard. There is a possibility that, though the captivity was allegedly brutal, some bonding took place, and the girl was forced to have two children with the abductor. This case has echoes of earlier cases, such as those involving victim Natascha Kampusch in 2006 and Josef Fritzl and his victim, his own daughter, in 2008, both in Austria.

See also

• Lima Syndrome
• Florence Nightingale effect

Notes

1. Nils Bejerot: The six day war in Stockholm New Scientist 1974, volume 61, number 886, page 486-487
2. M. Namnyak, N. Tufton, R. Szekely, M. Toal, S. Worboys, E. L. Sampson (2008) ‘Stockholm syndrome’: psychiatric diagnosis or urban myth?
3. [1]
4. N. Kato, et al. 2006, ''Ptsd: Brain Mechanisms and Clinical Implications'' Springer Publishers ISBN 4431295666
5. Monterey Herald