Other Papers

Stockholm Syndrome
(revised October 23, 2015)

I was watching the story of Elizabeth Smart when I first heard of the Stockholm syndrome. This is a condition where captives sympathize with their captors and actually help them. Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped in June 2002 and held by a pseudo-religious fanatic. During most of her 9-month ordeal she cooperated fully with her captor. Even when the police stopped their car in March of 2003 she tried very hard to resist the officer who wanted to determine her identity. I was shocked and fascinated by this. I started to wonder how many less known kidnap victims are out there, fully subservient to their captors. I saw Patty Hearst on TV explaining how she was in a similar situation in the 1970s. I read about the bank robbery in Stockholm where social scientists first observed this syndrome and gave it the name of their city. Even several months later, long after Stockholm police freed the hostages, they still had warm feelings for the men who threatened their lives.

I realized that the majority of Americans suffer from a form of this condition which I will call Societal Stockholm syndrome. We are effectively held captive by our fear of offending alien populations. They are generally a hostile people who occasionally show acts of kindness. The Stockholm syndrome explains our illogical desire to help and tolerate their antisocial behavior. It explains the behavior of our “liberal” leaders who are always looking for new ways to please our enemies. These people may not be cowardly fools as they appear to be, they are just suffering from a psychological condition. They need help.

This syndrome has been observed in cult members, people in Chinese Communist prisons, pimp-procured prostitutes, incest victims, physically and/or emotionally abused children, battered women, prisoners of war, victims of hijackings, hostages and kidnap victims. Virtually anyone can get Stockholm syndrome if the following conditions are met:

1. Perceived threat to survival and the belief that one's captor is willing to act on that threat
2. The captive's perception of small acts of kindness from the captor within a context of terror
3. Isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor (Thanks to the media)
4. Perceived inability to escape.