What is Stockholm Syndrome- Story, symptoms and causes

Most of you today might be aware about the Stockholm Syndrome, or heard about it through movies, or some series, most of you know that it exists and probably also know that this psychological phenomenon is very real. But very few of you might be aware about the intriguing backstory it has, how did this phenomenon came into light? Where did it originate from and why is it called that? And at last, how common it is in today’s world. Pretty sure you didn’t know this right?
We are going to answer all these questions today here, so grab your popcorn tub and stay hooked.

What is it’s story and what is it named after?

The Stockholm Syndrome’s gripping story goes way back to 1973, when two armed men, contained four employees of a bank hostages while robbery, for six days. This bank robbery happened in Stockholm, Sweden. So what happened there?
Interestingly, after those six days, the people who were held captive as the hostages won’t testify against their captivators, they seemed to have developed a feeling of sympathy for them. Even during the course of those six days, they refused to cooperate with the authorities and opposed their assistance. Some of them also kept in touch with their captivators.
Now, that obviously was a very confusing situation for the authorities, they couldn’t understand what caused those people to develop these positive feelings for people whom they should fear.

What happens in Stockholm Syndrome?

So Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which a hostage or a victim of some physical and emotional abuse develops positive feelings or sympathy with their captivators or abusers. Sounds absurd right? Why would someone possibly feel positively towards their abusers? Well, it can be best viewed as a coping mechanism.
Psychologically, this response becomes a shield for the victim to survive a terrifying situation, they try to reason with their captivators so the situation becomes less fearful for them.
Now, this psychological response is far more common than you might think, not only in cases of hostage situations and robbery, this response is common in people who might be victims of some trauma like abusive relationships or child abuse.

What are the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome?

1. The victim develops positive feelings for his/her abuser, or the captor, they start sympathizing with them, get attached to them, reason with them, start caring for them.

2. The victim develops negative feelings for authoritative figures, or people trying to help them, who are against their captor and are trying to help them get away from the abusive situation.

3. The person gets emotionally attached with their abuser, even identifies with them, start believing they have the same values and goals.

What circumstances cause the Stockholm Syndrome?

So what are the situations which can possibly give rise to such psychological reactions, how and when?
a. When a person feels threatened either physically or emotionally
In a situation where the person feels that the abuser is capable of causing them harm, he feels threatened by the captor/ abuser, a terrifying situation where the person feels their safety is at risk.
b. Abuser shows some kindness
Okay, so the threatening situation has been created, the only thing one seems to care about is their safety, and during that course of time, the captor, or the abuser shows some level of kindness, a small one, even the basic ones, it starts to create a positive image of the captor. The victim might start believing there is a kind side to their captor. Because amidst the crisis, someone has presented them with a token of kindness, even a small one, it feels like some hope.
c. Separation and isolation
This has been observed as a very recurring pattern in abusive relationships, the victim is isolated from their loved ones, or people they like. The abuser might threaten the victim upon spending time with their loved ones, and victims, on the other hand tend to comply with their abusers just so they can stay away from their abusive reactions, so that they can keep themselves safe from possible abuse.
d. Escape does not seem as an option
When the victim lose hope on the idea that they can escape from this abuse, they might think it is better to cope, or let it be, things are going to be like that, they are basically stuck in this cycle and there seems nop way out.

So this was a gist about what causes Stockholm Syndrome, where does it originate from, what is it all about, and at last, what causes this psychological reaction. People who are survivors of abusive treatments or trauma most likely develop it and a terrifying situation is a key element in this. Although it is more of a coping mechanism, proper treatment and psychotherapy can help relieve the post traumatic symptoms and help the person develop more healthy coping mechanisms.