While I didn’t follow the kidnapping story out of Missouri very closely, I remember hearing the theory that Stockholm Syndrome may have been involved. It seems like this theory is brought up every single time a kidnapping story is in the news.
What is Stockholm Syndrome?
The term was invented by Swedish criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot when he was talking about how hostages in a Stockholm, Sweden bank robbery formed a bond with their captors during a six-day ordeal.
While this doesn’t make any sense at the surface, the general theory is that in terrifying situations victims follow evolutionary instincts found in infants and attempt to form an emotional bond with the nearest powerful adult. An infant forms these emotional bonds because this protector will help them survive to become adults. This is a very powerful survival instinct and can override the reality that this powerful person they feel is necessary for survival is actually holding them hostage.
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Posted by Tim Roth, author of the political blog Think Anew and Act Anew
Source:
“Stockholm Syndrome”, Wikipedia entry
