The bank robbery started the syndrome of believing the kidnappers

44 years ago hostages kidnapped in a bank robbery in Sweden shocked the world because they had Stockholm syndrome.

Stockholm Syndrome is a term that describes a psychological state in which the abducted person for a long time shifts from fear and hatred to sympathy and affection for his own kidnappers. The term was named after psychiatrist Nils Bejerot after the Kreditbanken Bank robbery near Norrmalmstorg square in the Swedish capital Stockholm, which shocked the world.

On August 23, 1973, jail breaker Jan Erik Olsson fired terrorist officers at the bank and shouted "the fun just started". The robber captured 4 hostages including 3 women and one man, in 131 hours. 4 hostages include Birgitta Lundblad, Elisabeth Oldgren, Kristin Ehnmark and Sven Safstrom. The hostages were armed with explosives and locked in a money store. The bandit demanded the government pay 3 million ransom and had to release you and his old cell, Clark Olofsson.

The hostages are detained at the bank.(Photo: AFP).

The next morning Olofsson was taken to the bank. Olsson asked for a car to leave the scene but was refused. In the afternoon he was connected directly to the current Prime Minister Olof Palme. Unexpectedly, the victim Kristin Enmark said: "Palme, you disappointed me. I am not afraid of these two men, they protect us." She begged for permission to leave the bank with the kidnapper. All of Sweden was bewildered. What happened to the young girl?

The third day of the kidnapping, the radio revealed police planned to drill a hole in the wall to spray the anesthetic gas into it. Of course, the whole group of people in the bank listened to the radio. Through the drill hole, the police brought in food and drinks. On August 28 of that year, the sixth day of the event, Jan Erik Olsson lost his temper. He shot on the ceiling and injured a policeman. Meanwhile, the children who believed most followed Olsson's orders, even sympathizing with him. Olsson later told the court: "They made us impossible to kill them." Even the AFP news agency cited Olsson's reminiscences, now an old man out of 70, saying: "There was a time when the hostages were hiding so the police could not shoot me."

At 9:00 pm, when the police sprayed air through the boreholes and the agents broke into the two perpetrators, Kristin Enmark shouted: "Don't hurt them, they don't do anything to us" . Outside, in front of hundreds of camera lenses, she called Clark Olofsson: "See you again."

Police arrest Olsson.(Photo: AFP).

Enmark's behavior and the remaining victims caused Sweden to argue. Enmark said: "I'm no longer afraid of them, but I'm afraid of the police . " Elisabeth Oldgren later said that, at the time, she thought Olsson "was very kind" to allow her to move on the bank's floor. And Safstrom said he was even grateful to Olsson. "When Olsson treated us well, we thought he was a God, " the kidnapped man said.

"We were interrogated for many days but no one wanted to know our needs or wishes, everyone just asked about Stockholm syndrome," Enmark recalls. She quit her job at the bank, studied sociology and became a psychotherapist for drug addicts. Recently, Kristin Enmark published a book entitled I have Stockholm Syndrome.

She confesses a special sympathy with Clark Olofsson. Months after being freed, she kept visiting him in prison, the two of them exchanging letters regularly, though he married a Belgian girl behind bars. Jan-Erik Olsson was released after 8 years and moved to Thailand with his family. The kidnapping was later built into a film and a fascinating topic for many novels.

According to the BBC, in history, many cases of kidnapping victims have manifestations of this syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is most evident in Patty Hearst, the female millionaire who inherited a newspaper in California (USA) was kidnapped by revolutionary militant group SLA in 1974. She then developed a close affection with kidnappers, even joined them in a bank robbery in April 1974. Eventually, Patty Hearst was arrested and sentenced to 7 years in prison but released after 3 years.

Elizabeth Smart, 14, was kidnapped in May 2002. She was raped and detained for 9 months in Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Smart said that she always struggled and asked if life would be better if she escaped, whether people outside would love her. In May 2011, Smart kidnapper Brian David Mitchell received a life sentence.

Austrian Natascha Kampusch, is a typical victim of Stockholm syndrome. She was locked in the basement for 8 years, since 1998, when she was 10 years old. Wolfgang Priklopil beat her more than 200 times a week and chained her while they slept together. It was not until August 2006 that Kampusch decided to escape, and Priklopil crashed into a suicide train.

Kristin Ehnmark is still obsessed with the case after more than 40 years.(Photo: AP).

The psychiatrist explained, Stockholm syndrome is one of the mental disorders . When the victim is forced to face a contradictory, contradictory situation, there is resignation rather than resistance. The victim himself has argued and accepted to befriend the perpetrator to suit the new environment in order to avoid being killed or abused. After a long time, the victims appeared to be obedient and then loved the care of the culprit and were not aware of the previous wrongdoing.

Psychologist Frank Ochberg gave up his research on this syndrome and remarked: "First of all, the fear suddenly came to the hostages, they were convinced that they would die. After that, they experienced again. The state is like a child - unable to eat, speak or go to the toilet without permission . " This syndrome is a vital instinct of humanity since birth. Therefore, the small actions of hostage abductors such as feeding and drinking have led to initial gratitude.

Psychologist Jennifer Wild, a psychology expert at Oxford University, said: "A typical example is domestic violence, when someone, mostly women, has a sense of dependence on my partner and being with him despite being violent, they feel more empathetic than angry.

According to Primehealthchannel, people with Stockholm syndrome have some signs such as: Show admiration for kidnappers; Against the rescue team; Protect kidnappers; Try to please the kidnappers; Refusing to testify against his captor; Refuse to flee the kidnappers.

Stockholm syndrome is often considered a developmental condition from stress and fear. The most effective treatment is psychotherapy. Patients need to seek support from psychiatrists and family members. In addition, patients can also be treated with drugs.