Stockholm syndrome
Stockholm syndrome is defined as a psychological state in which the victim is sympathetic or collaborates with the person who is persecuted, kidnapped, severely beaten, raped or otherwise assaulted. The person expresses his allegiance to the aggressor. In other words, when a person or group Of people in a situation where they do not have the ability to control their own fate, feel very fearful of physical abuse, and think that the control lies in the hands of the hijacker or the oppressor, and these people think of a way of survival that may develop into a psychological response that includes sympathy and support with the oppressor.
The reason for naming Stockholm syndrome
The name of the syndrome was derived from a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1973. Four hostages, a man and three women, were detained for six consecutive days. During the detention period, under pressure, the hostages were taken to defend the actions Robbers and blame for the government’s efforts to save them. Months after the end of the ordeal, the hostages continued to declare loyalty to their abductors, to the extent that they refused to testify against them, but helped the criminals raise funds for legal defense.
Causes of Stockholm Syndrome
Individuals with Stockholm syndrome are exposed to the following conditions:
- The abductee or hostage was confirmed by the ability and willingness of the abductor to kill him.
- Isolation of the hostage from the rest of the persons except the hijacker.
- The hostage’s belief that fleeing the hijacker is impossible.
- Amplify the actions of the gentle kidnapper, and the attention of the kidnapper and hostage to each other.
- It can be said that the victims of this syndrome generally suffer from severe isolation, physical and emotional abuse, and those who fall prey to this syndrome: abused children, abduction victims, prisoners of war, and violent marriages, The victims are consistent and supportive of the abductor or oppressor as a tactic to survive. Explaining this in accordance with one of the hypotheses that examined this behavior is that the victim’s belief in the actions and thoughts of the aggressor makes her not consider what she fears or threatens.
Treatment of Stockholm syndrome
The treatment of this syndrome requires great efforts of behavioral therapy, continuous sessions aimed at modifying the idea of the victim, and write the anniversary in a different way to change the image of the aggressor in the mind of the victim from being a savior and wonderful, to the fact that he is a violent person.