Stockholm Syndrome- EVERYTHING you need to KNOW!
The story of the abused neighbor’s wife. Yeah, we all know that one. But, “Why didn’t she just leave?” Yeah. Why didn’t she? If she lived in our society, then we already know the answer. Sadly.
In any kind of abusive relationship, the victim experiencing abuse may sympathize for the abusive person. This is called Stockholm Syndrome.
The History of Stockholm Syndrome
This syndrome originated many centuries ago, but this entrapment came to be named in August 23, 1973. What happened? Four people were detained for 131 hours following a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden. During captivity, the abusers threatened, abused, and strapped the hostages with dynamite. Surprisingly, despite such treatment, they showed supportive reactions towards the hostage takers. But, that’s NOT ALL! In fact, one woman later became engaged to one of the criminals and another one developed a legal defense fund to help the hostage takers (Logan, 2018).
What Is Stockholm Syndrome?
Stockholm syndrome is one type of trauma bonding. Basically,hostages develop feelings of affection and trust for the captors (Gaba, 2019). It sounds WEIRD, right? An FBI trained hostage negotiator (2018) stated that in hostage negotiation, it’s “the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor.”
How to recognize trauma bonding?
It exists in a relationship in which the connection is illogical and is very difficult to break. In order for a trauma bond to form, a power differential, intermittent good/bad treatment, and high arousal and bonding periods are the crucial components (Dutton and Painter, 1993). Excessive fear and will to survive in concentration camps and kidnap experiences can cause such a bond with the criminal. This bonding is perpetuated by the imbalance of power and the manipulative nature of intermittent cycling of abuse with acts of kindness. (Logan, 2018).
The Abused or Hostage
Dr Logan listed the characteristics of the captor as following:
They develop an emotional bond with the abuser as a strategy for survival. Furthermore, their personality becomes situated to survive the situation and lower their emotional and physical risks.
The fear of outbursts from the abuser becomes a controlling factor in the victim’s life. For survival, the goal becomes to anticipate anything that may result in an outburst for the controlling person and avoid it at all costs.
The outcome of this survival mode or ‘‘freeze’’ reaction versus ‘‘fight’’ or ‘‘flight’’ reaction can result in a captive who experiences a loss of self-esteem, self-confidence, and psychological energy and who is ‘‘burned out’’ and too depressed to leave.
Types of Investment
According to an article written by Dr. Joseph Carver posted an in August, 2003 titled Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser, there are several types of investments that further bonds the captive to the captor.
Emotional Investment—They’ve invested so many emotions, cried so much, and worried so much that they feel it necessary to see the relationship through to the finish.
Social Investment—They’ve got pride! To avoid social embarrassment and uncomfortable social situations, they remain in the relationship.
Family Investments—If children are present in the relationship, decisions regarding the relationship are clouded by the status and needs of the children.
Financial Investment—In many cases, the controlling and abusive partner has created a complex financial situation. Many captives remain in a bad relationship waiting for a better financial situation to develop that would make their departure and detachment easier.
Lifestyle Investment—Many controlling/abusive partners use money or a lifestyle as an investment. So, captives in this situation may not want to lose their current lifestyle.
Intimacy Investment—They often invest in emotional and sexual intimacy. Some captives have experienced a destruction of their emotional and/or sexual self-esteem in the unhealthy relationship. The abusing partner may threaten to spread rumors or tell intimate details or secrets.
Final thoughts
Finally, Dr Logan (2018) further reiterates that Stockholm syndrome can exist in any interpersonal relationships. The abuser is usually in a position of control or authority. Furthermore, this type of authoritarian control also exists in a corporate sector. Like how a supervisor exerts control over an employee. Corporate Stockholm Syndrome is the name of this game!
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Currently, I am a student of Fatima Jinnah Women University. With a burning passion for psychology, words, and dreams, I decided to abandon medical studies for humanities. These days, when I’m not listening to ballads, watching movies, or sitting down with a good novel, I am rigorously studying Hangul (Korean language) to satisfy my obsession for BTS and K dramas. I’m a thinking introvert and INFJ personality. Therefore, I like ‘me time’. My articles typically resonate with psychological well-being advice.
