Many survivors of abusive programs go on to become "peer staff" at the facility and years later, they don't understand why.

Others acknowledge that they were physically, emotionally, and sometimes sexually abused. They freely admit that the program was the "worst thing that ever happened" in their lives.

Yet, in the same conversation, some survivors say they "needed" the abuse and that it "helped" them.

In our efforts to find an explanation, we discovered the Stockholm Syndrome.

We hope you find this helpful.

The Stockholm Syndrome

The term "Stockholm syndrome" was first used by Professor Nils Bejerot to explain the phenomenon of hostages bonding with their captors. In Stockholm, Sweden in 1973, two bank robbers held four people hostages for six days. The Norrmalmstorg Bank robbery received wide publicity because the hostages came to care about their captors and perceive them as protecting them against the police.

There is no universally accepted definition of Stockholm syndrome. It generally refers to symptoms often observed in hostages, cult members, battered women, abused children, and victims of sexual and physical abuse.

Symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome

• Emotional bonding with the captor/abuser

• Seeking approval from the captor/abuser

• Depending on the captor/abuser for security and purpose of existence

• Befriending and caring for the captor/abuser

• Resenting police and authorities for their rescue attempts

• Losing one's own identify in order to identify with the captor/abuser

• Seeing things from the perspective of the captor/abuser

• Valuing every small gesture of kindness, such as letting them live

• Refusing freedom even when given the opportunity

Survival Strategy?

Many psychologists and psychiatrists have considered the Stockholm syndrome a survival strategy in extreme conditions, where there is:

• The constant threat to physical and psychological survival

• A condition of helplessness and hopelessness

• Isolation and loss of support systems from the outside world

• A context of trauma and terror that shatters previously held assumptions

• The perception that survival depends on total surrender and compliance

Psychological Processes

There are five powerful motivations working together to contribute to the development of the Stockholm syndrome:

• The motivation to survive physically and psychologically

• The motivation to avoid pain and fear

• The motivation to find hope and meaning

• The motivation to find significance and security

• The motivation to seek acceptance and relationship

Although these are primary motivations operating in all sorts of situations, most of the time only one or two motivations may predominate.

However, in a hostage or abuse situation, all these motivations are operating and contributing to the bonding between the victim and the abuser. Such a relationship is strengthened both by the negative reinforcement of relief from pain and fear, and the positive reinforcement of approval and recognition.

Help for Persons with Stockholm Syndrome

In most cases, individuals with Stockholm syndrome can benefit from psychotherapy. They need professional support in order to confront and work through past trauma.

They also need professional help to gain a better understanding of their distorted thinking and confusing feelings towards their captor/abuser.

Author: Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D.
President, INPM
www.meaning.ca

Used with permission.

Source: ISAC Corporation - www.isaccorp.org