Stockholm syndrome: when hostages sympathize with their captors

If you have heard of strange cases where the kidnap victim pityed, liked, or even justified the kidnapper's actions, that is an example of Stockholm Syndrome.

However, recently the definition of Stockholm Syndrome has become increasingly broad. Not only includes cases of kidnapping, but also extends to cases of violence such as domestic violence and violence in dating.

Explore the origins of Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a term that was born from a criminologist and psychiatrist, Nils Bejerot. Bejerot uses it as an explanation for the psychological reactions that hostage victims experience and the violence.

The name Stockholm Syndrome is taken from a case of the Sveritges Kreditbank bank robbery that occurred in 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden. This robbery began when a team of top criminals named Jan-Erik Olsson and Clark Olofsson burst into the bank and took four bank employees trapped in it as hostages. The hostages are locked up in a vault (vault) for 131 hours or about 6 days.

Police investigative reports indicate that while being held hostage the victims received a variety of cruel treatment and death threats. However, when the police try to negotiate with the two robbers, the four hostages actually help and offer advice for Jan-Erik and Clark not to give up on the police.

They even criticized the efforts of the police and the government for being insensitive to the views of the two robbers. After the two muggers were caught, the four hostages also refused to testify against Jan-Erik and Clark in court.

Instead, the hostages claimed that the robbers had returned their lives. In fact, they even said that they were more afraid of the police than the two robbers. No less interesting, the only female hostage in the robbery confessed her love for Jan-Erik until they got engaged.

Since then, similar cases are also known as Stockholm syndrome.

Stockholm Syndrome is a form of self defense

Stockholm Syndrome or Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological reaction characterized by sympathy or affection that arises from the kidnapping victim towards the perpetrator.

Stockholm Syndrome appears as a self-defense mechanism that can be carried out consciously or unconsciously by the victim. Basically, self-defense reactions cause a person to exhibit behaviors or attitudes that are contrary to what they actually feel or should do.

This self-defense mechanism is carried out solely by the victim to protect himself from threats, traumatic events, conflicts, and various negative feelings such as stress, anxiety, fear, shame, or anger.

Instead, the victim sympathized with the perpetrator

When a kidnapped hostage or victim of domestic violence is detained in a frightening situation, the victim will feel angry, embarrassed, sad, afraid, and hateful towards the perpetrator. However, bearing the brunt of these feelings for long enough will leave the victim mentally exhausted.

As a result, the victim begins to form a self-defense mechanism by forming a reaction that is completely opposite to what she actually feels or should do. Then, fear will turn to pity, anger will turn into love, and hatred will turn into solidarity.

In addition, several experts stated that the actions of the hostage taker, such as feeding or leaving the victim alive, were interpreted as a form of rescue.

This may occur because the victim feels that his life is being threatened. Meanwhile, the only person who can save and accept himself is the perpetrator himself. Either it was through the food the perpetrator gave or simply by letting the victim stay alive.

Typical Stockholm Syndrome symptoms

Stockholm syndrome is a disorder. In fact, experts agree that this condition is a form of unhealthy relationship.

Just like health problems in general, Stockholm syndrome also shows signs or symptoms. The most characteristic signs and symptoms of Stockholm syndrome are:

• Generating positive feelings towards kidnappers, hostage-takers, or perpetrators of violence.
• The development of negative feelings towards family, relatives, authorities, or the community who are trying to free or save the victim from the perpetrator.
• Show support and approval of the words, actions, and values ​​the offender believes.
• There are positive feelings that appear or are conveyed openly by the perpetrator against the victim.
• The victim knowingly and voluntarily helps the perpetrator, even to commit a crime.
• Do not want to participate or be involved in efforts to release or rescue victims from the perpetrator.

In some cases, the victim can even feel an emotional closeness to the perpetrator. The intense interaction and communication between the perpetrator and the victim, who are usually isolated, can make the victim see the likeness of himself to the perpetrator, be it social, emotional, or psychological. Well, from there, the victim can generate pity and sympathy for the perpetrator, even affection.

Rehabilitation efforts for people with Stockholm Syndrome

The good news is that people with Stockholm Syndrome can recover, although it can't be done overnight. Usually, the medical team together with a psychologist will advise the victim to undergo rehabilitation.

The length of this rehabilitation period will vary from person to person because it depends on how strong the relationship is with the perpetrator and whether the victim is still communicating with the perpetrator.

As with most cases of serious trauma, a supportive approach and psychotherapy must be followed. Pay attention and support from family or closest relatives is also very much needed. Especially if the victim experiences complications such as depression.

Moral support from the people closest to the victim can make the rehabilitation process run more optimally, so that the victim's chance to recover quickly from this syndrome is also getting bigger.