Stockholm syndrome is a psychological reaction that is sometimes seen in hostages, who show signs of loyalty to the kidnappers, regardless of the danger they are exposed to. The syndrome was named after the "Credit Bank" robbery on Normalmstorg Square in Stockholm, where the robbers held bank workers hostage from August 23 to 28, 1973. After his release from prison, Jan-Erik Olson tried to rob a bank, and after the police were called, the robbery turned into a hostage crisis, during which Olson took four hostages. One of his requests, out of a total of six, was for his friend Clark Olofson to join him. After five days of negotiations, the police threw tear gas into the bank and after half an hour Olson and Olofson surrendered. The hostages did not suffer serious injuries, and later claimed that they were more afraid of police actions than robbers. It was obvious that they sympathized with their captors. The term "Stockholm syndrome" was coined by Swedish criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who helped the police during the robbery.
The hostages became emotionally attached to the kidnappers, so they justified their actions after they were released. They refused to testify against the kidnappers, they collected money for their defense, and a woman who was among the hostages married one of the robbers. Later, after the trial, the hostages were reluctant to talk about the abduction,
Stockholm syndrome is a defense mechanism that is triggered in many prisoners. When we are at someone’s mercy or disfavor, we try to please him for the sake of survival. Our psyche adjusts so that we begin to sympathize with the torturer, and even to love him. This happens not only in the case of kidnappings, but also in any form of violence, especially domestic violence.
There are many examples of Stockholm Syndrome. One of them is the case of Brian Mitchell.
Namely, in June 2002, the mentally ill Brian Mitchell abducted 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom in Salt Lake City while her parents and brothers were sleeping.
He held her captive for nine months, allegedly raped her several times and severely physically abused her. However, after several months of forced detention, Elizabeth reportedly stayed with her abductor even though she was not physically forced and could leave.
Only three days after she was abducted, she even heard her uncle calling her from close range, the basement where she was, but she did not want to answer him. She was found in good physical condition, in a basement not far from her parents' house.
What is interesting is that Elizabeth never told what was happening and refused to speak out against the kidnappers despite her family’s angry demands.
I knew about Termis Stockholm Syndrome but I didn’t know where the term came from. Now I know that too, thank you.