Named after the 1973 robbery of Kreditbanken in Stockholm, Sweden, in which 2 robbers held 4 bank employees hostage from August 23rd to August 28th.
The victims got to know their captors, and they became emotionally attached to them to the degree that they even defended them after the event.
A domineering character who takes a hostage can assume the motherly role and wants the victim to be totally dependent on them for all their needs. This way the victim may beg, or ask for what they need for survival. The victim can change the situation around in their frightened mind so that they avoid unpleasant thoughts about their captor and instead create a new situation that may keep them safe. The victim can adjust their thinking to survival mode and find it safest (or more comfortable) to side with the domineering (abuser) person for safety sake rather than face being against the abuser.
The perpetrator/abuser will show some form of kindness to their victim. One can be grateful for the end of abuse and therefore can even be grateful to the abuser that the abuse has stopped and this can help bring a bond between them.
Another way to cause bonding is to create a “common cause” where the abuser and victim are to stand together as one (even if the abuser can fool the victim into believing in something unreal – they can still stand side by side against that enemy and/or for that cause). We all like to feel needed and wanted, so the abuser can create a situation to confuse the victim into believing that the abuser is their protector and that others are against the victim, when in reality it is the opposite case in real life.
If the victim shares all her secrets with the abuser then she is handing all the material that the abuser needs to keep brainwashing her, because the abuser knows all of her secrets.
It has been known that people who are sexually abused, in particular mothers abusing daughters the victim tends to defend the mother (her abuser). With a mother and daughter situation the mother has many years of gentle (brain washing – grooming) persuasion to convince the young girl that ‘mother knows best’ and that even the authorities are not to be trusted because they don’t understand the love and “special relationship” between the mother and daughter. The (mentally and emotionally weak) victim eagerly wanting to please her mother will listen and follow her mothers advice letting the mother guide her life for her.
A child or teenager must go through trials and experiences to learn how to cope with life as an adult. If someone else chooses for us and rules our life then we don’t learn the lessons that we need to learn. As an adult when a tough challenge or situation comes up the weak person won’t have experience to back them up so their learning foundation is weak and they may cling to a parent or friends to choose for them because they don’t have the courage, or will, or experience to know what is best for them.
God’s ways are of freedom. There is no freedom in being fooled by others. As time goes by people can see those who are their enemies as their friend, due to a closer physical relationship and so bonding is possible.
In an FBI file I read this about Stockholm Syndrome:
Individuals involved in situations resulting in Stockholm syndrome display three characteristics, although these do not always exist together.
1) Hostages have positive feelings for their captors.
2) Victims show fear, distrust, and anger toward the authorities.
3) Perpetrators display positive feelings toward captives as they begin to see them as human beings.
People doing wrong can use sympathy to get people to like them and support them. Time with a person allows a close bonding, and this can bring one to creating a relationship that can be very strong.
Criminals have used this type of bonding to get people on their side, even those who they are hurting, and the hostage situation is proof of this. The Patty Hearst example is proof of a person kidnapped, sexually and physically abused and then working voluntarily for her abusers in armed holdups.
From the Patty Hearst example we can see that criminals can find ways that they can use to brainwash a person into sympathizing with the criminals and then the victim willingly supporting their criminal abusers.
Naturally the abusers only want the victims to listen to the abusers. If one of the victims freaks out then the abusers won’t go to the proper authorities for help, no instead they will try to convince the young victim that the abusers are the ones to trust. They don’t want what is good the the brainwashed, they are only looking after number one.
Never hate yourself or abuse yourself because others have taken advantage of you as a child, or at any age. It is not your fault because a child is no match for the cunning of an adult, especially an adult we were supposed to love with all our heart and soul. Don’t judge others for the same thing. Instead be an encouragement and offer assistance if
you can, and do the best that you can to understand their situation and always be willing to help those in need.
I hope that this article was useful to you.
All the best from James M Sandbrook.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016, 3:10:05 AM.