Your healthcare provider will work with you to help you or your loved one recover. What you’re feeling is an understandable way of coping with and surviving what happened to you. If you or a loved one has experienced Stockholm syndrome, know that your positive feelings toward your abuser are not a fault. Instead of feelings of fear, terror and hostility toward your abuser, you may begin feeling a sense of humanity and compassion for them. Stockholm syndrome is a coping mechanism.
One example might be athletes who agree to extreme, abusive workouts because they believe the coach knows what’s best for them. When not harmed by their abuser, a victim may feel grateful and even view their abuser as humane.ĭoes Stockholm syndrome apply only to hostage situations?Īlthough Stockholm syndrome was named based on the location of a bank robbery-hostage situation, some of the same behaviors and feelings are seen in victims of other types of trauma, including: Also, by working with and not fighting against an abuser, victims may secure their safety.
People adjust their feelings and start having compassion for their abuser when they’re shown some kindness over time. Some evolutionary psychiatrists believe this ancestral technique is a natural human trait.Īnother theory is that a captive or abuse situation is highly emotionally charged. Bonding with captors increased the chance of survival. In the early civilization, there was always a risk of being captured or killed by another social group. One theory is that this is a learned technique passed down from our ancestors. Researchers don’t know why some captives develop Stockholm syndrome and others don’t. Can’t relax or enjoy things that you previously enjoyed.Feeling distrustful, irritated, jittery or anxious.Other symptoms are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and include: Negative feelings toward police or other authority figures.Sympathy for their captors’ beliefs and behaviors.Positive feelings toward the captors or abusers.
What are the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome? After they were set free, some bank employees refused to testify against the bank robbers in court and even raised money for their defense.Ī criminologist and psychiatrist investigating the event developed the term, “Stockholm syndrome” to describe the affinity some bank employees showed toward the bank robbers. During the six-day standoff with police, many of the captive bank employees became sympathetic toward the bank robbers. This condition gets its name from a 1973 bank robbery incident that happened in Stockholm, Sweden. Other closely linked psychological conditions include: Many medical professionals consider the victim’s positive feelings toward their abuser a psychological response - a coping mechanism - that they use to survive the days, weeks or even years of trauma or abuse. In addition to the original kidnapper-hostage situation, Stockholm syndrome now includes other types of trauma in which there’s a bond between the abuser and the person being abused. People with Stockholm syndrome form a psychological connection with their captors and begin sympathizing with them. Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response to being held captive.
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