Taken

Imagine yourself in a hostage situation: You're at the bank to deposit a pair of checks and the next thing you know the bank is being robbed. This is no common robbery, rather, it's a six day long takeover where you and many others are taken hostage. Interestingly, instead of rebelling against your captors as one might expect, you begin to support their cause, believe in their motive, and, in extreme cases, resist rescue. This is no fantasy. In 1973, in Stockholm, Sweden, such an event occurred. This change in behavior seen in hostages--from hostile to friendly--is known as Stockholm Syndrome.

Since the seminal event in 1973, other famous cases are often cited that illustrate Stockholm Syndrome. In one, a wealthy heiress and college student named Patty Hearst was kidnapped and held hostage by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. Rather than resist and escape, Hearst eventually joined the groups efforts in robbing banks, organizing members, and promoting the group's cause. Not until after she was removed from their presence did Hearst denounce these activities.

Stockholm Syndrome also rears its head in cases of domestic abuse, both physical and emotional, where the abused person feels it is not right to turn in the abuser. Often identified as a defense mechanism, Stockholm Syndrome explains what appears as irrational behavior. While it seems logical to remove yourself from captors and abusers, psychologists have found that the mind makes sense of these events in strangely powerful ways.

Pictured: Patty Hearst in a Symbionese Liberation Army publicity photoraph

Author: Zachary Lauritzen