What is Stockholm Syndrome?
Stockholm Syndrome refers to the situation where a hostage becomes loyal to his or her captors.
The Original Stockholm Case
Named after an event in Stockholm, Sweden, where bank robber, Jan-Erik Olsson, kept four hostages captive for six days inside a bank vault. During their time in captivity the victims claimed that Olsson had treated them well, let them make phone calls and even allowed one to walk out of the vault attached to a length of rope to help with her claustrophobia.
The police met Olsson’s ransom money demand, along with a car with a full tank of petrol and the release of prisoner Clark Olofsson, who joined Olsson and the four hostages in the bank.
After the police pumped tear gas into the vault, the captives were finally freed. The victims insisted that Olsson and Olofsson were released first for fear that they would be gunned down if the hostages were released first. They told the Police not to hurt the two men as they had not been hurt by them. As they parted, the hostages and the gunmen, embraced, kissed and shook hands and one hostage was heard to shout ‘Clark, I will see you again.’
Psychiatrists were confused and likened the situation to wartime shell-shock, where the hostages felt emotionally indebted to the gunmen, rather than the police, for keeping them alive. The phrase ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ was born.
Subsequent Cases of Stockholm Cases
The following year, 1974, Stockholm Syndrome was cited in the famous Patty Hearst case. Patty, the heiress to a newspaper fortune was taken hostage by the Symbionese Liberation Army and went on to assist them in several bank robberies.
Other potential Stockholm Syndrome cases include Natascha Kampusch who was kidnapped as a child and kept hidden in a cellar for 8 years by Wolfgang Priklopil as seen in the film 3096 days. And Elizabeth Smart of Salt Lake City kidnapped at age 14 and held captive for 9 months by Brian David Mitchell. Both appeared to identify and even empathise with their captors.
The reason behind this syndrome is thought to be a psychological response where the victim begins to identify with their captor, over days, weeks, months or years. It is also sometimes also called 'trauma bonding'.
Why did I use this in my Book - Getting Away?
Well, technically it's not really Stockholm Syndrome as Nancy genuinely falls for Joe and builds deep friendships with the others. She's never intentionally treated cruelly, so I see it as more of an adventure than an ordeal. A light-hearted look at kidnapping, if there is such a thing. Well, there is now.
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