LAB Psychology - file 01
Why do we fall in love with an enemy? – Stockholm Syndrome [Related Post]
Although you can NOT believe intuitively, do you know there are cases in which we are inclined to fall in love with our cruel, hateful abuser? Actually, it's NOT a normal, common case, but under some contingent conditions, it can happen.
Stockholm syndrome. It is a psychological response to protect our own mind, where a hostage or an abuse victim develops positive feelings, empathy, or bonding toward their captors or abusers as a survival strategy. But it's NEVER a fake acting for show.
Coined after a bank robbery case in 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden, Stockholm syndrome is characterized by a victim defending abusers, distrusting authorities, and feeling gratitude for small kindnesses in the middle of the helpless torment.
The Origin – The Norrmalmstorg Robbery in 1973
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| The Norrmalmstorg robbery (1973) |
Stockholm Syndrome was born
What happens in the victim’s mind – Psychological Mechanism
1: Perceived threat to survival
2: Perceived small kindnesses
3: Isolation from outside perspectives
4: Inability to escape
Trauma Bonding and Intermittent Reinforcement
Cognitive Dissonance Resolution
Hypervigilance and Perspective Merging
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| Amygdala (source: Cleveland Clinic) |
Identification with the Aggressor
Read the full article on nothingness but meaningless!
Further reading (contains Amazon affiliate links):
● David King (2020). Six Days in August: The Story of Stockholm Syndrome. 298 pages. W. W. Norton & Company.
(contains Amazon affiliate links)
Based on a wealth of previously unpublished sources, including rare film footage and unprecedented access to the main participants, “Six Days in August: The Story of Stockholm Syndrome” captures the surreal events in their entirety, on an almost minute-by-minute basis! “Six Days in August: The Story of Stockholm Syndrome” depicts a rich human drama that blurs the lines between loyalty and betrayal, obedience and defiance, fear and attraction—and is a groundbreaking work of nonfiction that forces us to consider "Stockholm syndrome" in an entirely new light!
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
Chapter 1 – 48
Epilogue
Notes
Illustration Credits
Index
