What is Stockholm syndrome

 

Stockholm syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome is defined as a psychological condition that makes the person who suffers from it sympathize or cooperate with the persecuted person, the kidnapper, the one who severely beats or rapes him, and other types of aggression, for which the person shows their loyalty to the offender.  In other words, by putting a person or a group, some people find themselves in a certain situation where they do not have the ability to control their own destiny, and they feel an intense fear of being physically abused, and they believe that this control lies in the hands of the person who kidnapped or persecuted them, so that they think of a way to escape.  You may develop a psychological reaction that includes sympathy and support for the oppressed.

Why the name Stockholm Syndrome

The name of this syndrome is derived from a bank robbery that took place in Stockholm, Sweden, in AD 1973, in which four hostages, one male and three female, were held for six consecutive days.  The robbers blamed government efforts to rescue them, and months after the ordeal ended, the hostages continued to profess loyalty to their captors, so much so that they refused to testify against them and even helped the criminals raise money for their defense. legal. 

     Causes of Stockholm Syndrome

     People with Stockholm syndrome develop it if they have the following conditions:

• The kidnapee or hostage makes sure that the kidnapper can kill him and is ready to kill him.

• Isolate the hostage from the rest of the people, except the kidnapper.

• The hostage believes that escaping from the kidnapper is impossible.

• The cute antics of the kidnapper amplify the interest of the kidnapper and the hostage in each other.

It can be said that the victims of this syndrome generally suffer severe isolation and physical and emotional abuse, and among the people who are victims of this syndrome: children who suffer abuse, victims of kidnapping, prisoners of war and married couples who are classified as violent.  , since these conditions give rise to a behavior in which the victims are compatible and in solidarity with the kidnapper or the persecutor as a survival tactic, and the interpretation of this according to one of the hypotheses that study this behavior is the belief of the victim.  The abuser's actions and thoughts make him not consider what he is experiencing as intimidation or a threat.

Stockholm Syndrome Treatment

     The treatment of this syndrome requires a great effort from behavioral therapy, and continuous sessions aimed at modifying the idea of the victim, and writing the memory in another way to change the image of the aggressor in the victim's mind of being a savior. and a wonderful person.  person, to the fact that he is an aggressor.