Stockholm Syndrome Is Rare, According To The FBI, And The Name Can Be Tracked Back To A 1973 Bank Robbery
Fifty-one years ago, a failed bank robbery and accompanying hostage situation led to the development of the name “Stockholm syndrome,” a psychological condition in which victims form a bond with their captors. Ever since then, the term has been used in connection with hostage-takings all over the world.
Initially, Stockholm syndrome was called “Norrmalmstorg syndrome,” after the square where the bank heist happened.
Stockholm syndrome describes the emotional bond that can occur between hostages and their captors.
The people being held captive may feel sympathy toward their captors and their cause. They may also turn against police and other authority figures.
Experts consider it as a psychological defense or coping mechanism that some people experience to endure the extreme trauma of being held captive or abused.
According to one FBI study, Stockholm syndrome is rare, occurring in approximately 8 percent of hostage victims.
The name can be traced back to a bank robbery in the Swedish capital on August 23, 1973. That morning, a convicted thief known as Jan-Erik Olsson tried to rob a bank in downtown Sweden.
He was armed with a submachine gun and took four bank employees hostage. He demanded 3 million kronor, a bulletproof vest, and a getaway car.
He also requested that Clark Olofsson, his former jail mate, be released from prison and transported to the bank.
sergign – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Authorities agreed, and the whole ordeal was documented on live television as police attempted to get the men to surrender.
Over the course of the next few days, they had some phone exchanges with Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was also part of the negotiations.
At one point, a hostage, Kristin Enmark, was allowed to speak on the phone. She told Palme that she trusted the robbers and was more afraid of the police attacking and causing them to die.
Other hostages started to sympathize with their captors as well. Finally, on August 28, police decided to storm the bank and drive everyone out using tear gas.
The plan was successful, and the hostages were freed and unharmed. Olsson and Olofsson were arrested.
Another well-known case of Stockholm syndrome happened the next year in the United States in 1974.
Patty Hearst, a 19-year-old college student and the granddaughter of a publishing heiress, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a small militant organization.
Two months later, it appeared that she had allegedly been brainwashed by the group’s leader. She sided with their cause, eventually robbing a San Francisco bank and committing other serious crimes with members of the organization.
Again, talk of Stockholm Syndrome arose stronger than ever. In 1975, she was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter reduced her sentence. Later on, President Bill Clinton pardoned her for her crimes. Stockholm syndrome is not listed as a disorder or a diagnosis. Instead, psychologists think that it is a survival strategy employed to make a stressful and dangerous situation more manageable.
Although Stockholm syndrome is not very common, it is often featured in popular culture, inspiring the creation of films, books, and songs.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News