The name of this syndrome comes from a real case of robbery of a bank institution in Stockholm, when two armed male persons took 4 bank officials hostage. The negotiations between the criminals and the authorities lasted 6 days (August 23-28, 1973), during which the hostages were constantly under the threat of weapons. When the police managed to release the hostages, they displayed abnormal behavior, trying to oppose the rescue operation, and later refused to testify against the criminals, trying to defend their aggressors.
This adaptive behavior of robbery victims was later named by the psychiatrist Nils Bejerot Stockholm syndrome, this term being currently used to refer to the psychological response manifested when a victim of an abuse or kidnapping becomes emotionally attached to the abuser.
What is Stockholm Syndrome?
Stockholm syndrome or attachment to the aggressor represents a behavior adopted in traumatic situations filled with fear and terror that involve the isolation of the victim from the outside world who ends up sharing the abuser's ideologies and goals, becoming in solidarity with him. In most situations, the victim exhibits an aggressive behavior towards the authorities and refuses to be rescued from the unfortunate circumstances, and subsequently does not testify against the aggressor.
Risk factors.
The main risk factors that predispose to the development of Stockholm syndrome include:
- Personal history of trauma or abuse
- The absence of social and family support that determines that the aggressor is the main source of emotional support for the victim
- Experiencing the feeling of helplessness or lack of control
- The abuser's use of intermittent reinforcements, i.e. displaying a behavior that alternates between abuse/cruelty and kindness/empathy
- Belonging to certain religions, adopting certain social or cultural norms.
What are the psychological mechanisms of Stockholm Syndrome?
At the base of this adaptive behavior is the survival instinct of the victim who becomes hypervigilant and attentive to the needs of the aggressor, overestimating any act of minimal goodwill shown by him in the context of a traumatic experience.
An important condition for cultivating Stockholm syndrome is for the aggressor to keep the victim in captivity, isolated for a period of several days and to be in permanent contact with her. After the initial phase of terror, the aggressor adopts a passive aggressive attitude, alternating periods of violence with moments of concern for the victim's primary needs (going to the toilet, sleeping, eating), behavior that allows the hostage to empathize with the abuser, thus developing the management mechanism of the traumatic situation known as Stockholm syndrome.
How does Stockholm Syndrome manifest itself?
Stockholm syndrome is a defense mechanism against abuse or major trauma that manifests itself through:
- Physical and emotional isolation of the victim
- Depression
- Embarrassment and fear
- Denial of reality.
Confusion and memory loss are the most common cognitive manifestations of victims with this syndrome , along with increased anxiety and irritability. People with Stockholm syndrome can in certain situations show symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder which include lack of confidence, flashbacks, nightmares, lack of attention and concentration and the inability to engage in behavior that could lead to release.
It is important to mention that these manifestations are not only specific to aggression or deprivation of liberty, they can also be found in children mistreated by their parents, in the relations between the employee and the employer who adopts an aggressive attitude towards subordinates or within religious cults or sects.
Is Stockholm syndrome a real mental illness?
The American Psychiatric Association does not include Stockholm syndrome in the DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , but attests to the existence of this type of psychological response in victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, members of various cults, prisoners of war and abused children from families dysfunctional.
Even if it is not considered to be a mental disorder in itself, Stockholm syndrome is recognized by medical specialists and benefits from specific treatment strategies that involve counseling sessions that teach the patient to relate in a healthy way to traumatic situations that can occur in everyday life.
The difference between Stockholm Syndrome and abusive relationships between partners
Stockholm syndrome is frequently associated with traumatic circumstances that evolve for shorter periods of time or circumstances that involve an imbalance of authority that manifests itself against the background of deprivation of freedom, while the traumatic relationship manifests itself as a result of constant abuse in the relationship between 2 couples.
The main difference between Stockholm syndrome and abusive relationships in a couple is represented by the victim's fear of being alone. The victim of a toxic relationship empathizes with the aggressor and justifies his abusive behavior regardless of its nature (physical, mental or emotional) for fear of being abandoned or ending up in an even more dysfunctional relationship than the current one.
In the couple relationship, the partners know each other intimately and are attached to each other to some extent so that it is easy for the aggressor to control his victim and diminish his confidence in his own strength by challenging all decisions and constant discrediting.
Even in the absence of affection, trust, love or attraction towards the aggressor, the victim cannot end the traumatic relationship because he considers that this toxic relationship offers him the necessary support and care that family, friends or another partner cannot provide.
Similarities Stockholm Syndrome and abusive relationships
In the case of couple relationships, the existence of a Stockholm syndrome can be considered when the physically and/or emotionally abused victim fails to dissociate from the abuser and displays a defensive behavior in front of family or friends who try to save her from the traumatic context in which she is .
Many people, especially women, get attached to the abusive partner and cannot end a toxic relationship despite the interventions of family and/or friends, irrationally justifying the physical, mental or emotional aggression to which they are subjected.
Stockholm syndrome is found especially in female housewives who spend most of their time at home, within the family, those who do not have an active social life or are not close to their parents. These features increase the risk of the Stockholm-type psychological response because the victim is somewhat isolated and can be controlled much more easily by the abuser.
It is important to mention that interrupting a self-preservation mechanism such as Stockholm syndrome is not easy and may involve failures, but patience, perseverance and accepting the support of a psychologist increase the chances of success. In the psychotherapeutic process, people with Stockholm syndrome learn to relate in a healthy way to traumatic life situations and understand the fact that the attachment to the aggressor was only a way of survival and has no real foundation.
