The Swedes

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The Ultimate Psychological Battle

• Stockholm Syndrome

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The Swedes

• Maureen Masters, Laurie Pray
• and Nancy Sheldon

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What is Stockholm Syndrome?

• Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which a
  person that has been taken hostage becomes
  emotionally involved with or becomes sympathetic
  towards his captors.

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Stockholm Syndrome Seen In Hollywood

• Stockholm syndrome can be recognized in some of
  the most popular movies

One of them being Beauty and the Beast
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In this classic tale, Belle is held captive by
the Beast. She is held hostage at his castle yet
begins to have strong loving feelings towards her
captor.
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Die Hard

• Dozens of hostages were held in a high rise
  without hope of escaping on their own. Several
  of the hostages came to trust in the ability of
  their captors keeping them safer than the police
  whom were slow to implement a rescue plan.

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King Kong
In King Kong, the ever famous giant gorilla takes
interest in a young beauty. He takes her as his
own keeping her near him at all times. She is
frightened at first, but in the end develops a
deep love and concern for her massive captor.
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Real Life Cases of Stockholm Syndrome
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Norrmalmstorg Robbery

• This is the case for which all others became
  named.
• August 23rd, 1973
• Two men entered a
• bank in central
• Stockholm and
• held hostages
• for several days.

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After the ordeal and the hostages were released,
they expressed feelings of compassion for their
captors. This event had the
psychological communities on full alert. They
named this unexpected behavior the Stockholm
syndrome.
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Patty Hearst

• The following year the heir to the Hearst fortune
  was taken hostage. This was to become one of the
  most famous kidnappings of all time.

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The world was caught by surprise...
Patty Hearst sent a tape announcing that she had
joined the rebel army of her captors willingly.
A short time later she was videotaped, armed
and robbing a San Francisco bank with her
captors, apparently of her own free will.
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• Patty Hearst made the FBIs most wanted list and
  was captured. The jury discounted her defense of
  Stockholm syndrome. She was convicted and
  sentenced to prison.
• Patty Hearst received a commuted sentence by
  President Jimmy Carter and was released from
  prison.
• A Presidential Pardon from Bill Clinton was
  bestowed to Miss Hearst on his last day in office.

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Shawn Hornbeck

• On a Sunday afternoon in October 2002, in the
  small town of Richwoods, Missouri, eleven year
  old Shawn Hornbeck was taken by Michael Devlin.

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For the next four years Hornbeck was sexually
assaulted often, tied up, and almost murdered by
Devlin. Devlin was eventually arrested after
kidnapping another boy, William Owenby, when his
truck was spotted during the kidnapping.
It shocked people to find out that Hornbeck was
experiencing Stockholm Syndrome. Shawn even had
several attempts to escape, but did not. He had
even taken the name Shawn Devlin.
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Why Does Stockholm Syndrome Take Place?
The first element is a severe traumatic shock
(Sauerwein, 2008) or a sudden terrifying capture
The first element is a severe traumatic shock
(Sauerwein, 2008) or a sudden terrifying capture
The first element is a severe traumatic shock
(Sauerwein, 2008) or a sudden terrifying capture

• It is reported that a person must be exposed to
  four basic elements when abduction takes place
  that lead to Stockholm syndrome.

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First, a traumatic shock or sudden terrifying
capture.
Second, is isolation.
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Third is captor programming- brainwashing.
Fourth is a promise of reward or a better
existence.
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Psychological key points

• Cognitive Dissonance

The hostages feel they must cling to and accept
their captors in order to survive and reduce
terror.
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• Locus of Control
• A kidnapped victim will analyze his
• Captors, decide to side with them and
• create a false bond in an attempt to survive.
• Over time the victim can blur the lines
• of reality. The false bond can dissolve into a
  real one.

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Groupthink

• This can occur when a group of individuals are
  deeply connected to each other and seek to come
  to an agreement of
• how to handle a situation.
• A deeply connected
• group is an excellent
• description of people
• in a hostage situation.

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What Can Be Done?

• Maybe nothing should be done to prevent this.
• Research has proven this syndrome actually
  increases the likelihood of survival.

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Conclusion

• Knowing about Stockholm
• symptoms may not help
• someone in a hostage crisis.
• However, this information
• is critical to crisis negotiators
• to ensure the safe recovery
• of all the hostages.
• Then the healing can
• begin.

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• The Ultimate Psychological Battle
• Stockholm Syndrome
•  
• Team The Swedes
• Maureen Masters, Laurie Pray and Nancy Sheldon
•  
•  
• Florida State College at Jacksonville
• Summer Term- 2010
• General Psychology
• Psyc 332324