Tuesday, May 03, 2005
The Stockholm Syndrome
The Stockholm Syndrome is downright creepy. Simply put it describes a situation where kidnap victims over time, become sympathetic to their captors. This name originates from a six-day hostage crisis in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973.The rescue attempts were resisted by the victims who later refused to testify against their captors. Baffling? Scary? You bet!
It is a defensive mechanism some captives develop fearing violence from their captors. Minor acts of kindness by the captor are magnified. Since it is likely that the kidnapped may be injured during rescue attempts,these attempts are actually seen as a threat!
This is a survival strategy. I always wondered at the absurdity of the female lead in Guna falling in love with her kidnapper. Well that is the Stockholm Syndrome for you! When a friend and a fellow cine buff told me about it I was perplexed. I just finished reading an Arthur Hailey book called The Evening News where this behavioral pattern is mentioned. Me, personally, I am totally spooked by this whole thing!!!
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2 comments:
Strange but not entirely surprising.A similar incident occured in 1974 with the kidnapping of Patricia "Patty" Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation army(SLA).Hearst not only submitted herself to her captors,she was also successfully brainwashed into joining the group,actively participating in their terrorist activities.Whether she willfully accepted their beleifs or was blackmailed into joining the SLA is something debated till today.This was the result of two rigorous months of intense captivity.You can read the full story here:http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/hearst/1.html?sect=22
The author also elabortes on the brainwashing theory capable of altering personalities.
sorry the link didn't come out:
http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spi
es/terrorists/hearst/1.html?sect=22
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