Stockholm Syndrome

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The former credit bank building in Stockholm

Under the Stockholm syndrome is defined as a psychological phenomenon in which victims of hostage-taking to build a positive emotional relationship with their captors. This can lead to the victim sympathizing with and cooperating with the perpetrators. The term is not scientifically founded.

etymology

The term Stockholm Syndrome, which is not actually a syndrome , can be traced back to the hostage-taking at Norrmalmstorg from 23 to 28 August 1973 in Sweden. At that time, the Swedish Credit Bank , a bank on Norrmalmstorg , in the center of the Swedish capital Stockholm , was attacked. Four of the employees were taken hostage. More than five days followed, during which the media also illustrated the fear of the hostages in the event of a hostage-taking for the first time . It turned out that the hostages developed a greater fear of the police than of their hostage-takers.

Despite their fear, the hostages felt no hatred for the hostage-takers even after the hostage-taking ended. They were even grateful to them for having been released. The hostages also asked for mercy for the perpetrators and visited them in prison.

Mistakenly, the Stockholm syndrome is also sometimes called Helsinki syndrome refers (eg. As in the films Die Hard , Knockin 'on Heaven's Door ).

Transfer of the term

The retrospective justification tendency is also known as Buyer's Stockholm Syndrome (“Buyer Stockholm Syndrome”), because a bad purchase decision is later and unconsciously perceived as correct.

Conceptual criticism

A scientific review from 2008 came to the conclusion that, despite the broad media reception, there was little scientific material on the term “Stockholm Syndrome”. In particular, no clear diagnostic criteria could be identified. After being listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for some time, Stockholm Syndrome has not been included since the fifth edition in 2013.

See also

• Identification with the aggressor

literature

• Robert Harnischmacher, Josef Müther: The Stockholm Syndrome: on the psychological reaction of hostages and hostage takers . In: Archiv für Kriminologie 180 (1987), 1–2, pp. 1–12.
• Rolf Köthke: The Stockholm Syndrome: a special consideration of the relationship between hostage-taker and hostage . In: Praxis der Rechtsspsychologie 9 (1999), 1, pp. 78–85.
• Arnold Wieczorek: The so-called Stockholm Syndrome: on the psychology of a phenomenon that has received much attention from the police . In: Kriminalistik 57 (2003), 7, pp. 429–436.
• James F. Campbell: Hostage: Terror and Triumph , Greenwood Press 1992, ISBN 0-313-28486-5 .

Web links

• Freihart Regner: "Unconscious love relationship with the torturer?" - Criticism and alternatives to a "psychodynamics of the traumatic reaction". (PDF; 159 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Namnyak M, Tufton N, Szekely R, Toal M, Worboys S, Sampson EL (January 2008). "Stockholm Syndrome": psychiatric diagnosis or urban myth? Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 117 (1): 4-11.