Stockholm syndrome

Yesterday when I chatted with one of my friends he wanted me to help him get access to the foreign website (Some websites are banned in cn). Then I told him that I also cannot get access to those websites because the DNS server I used now was located in China. He was speechless and said I had the “Stockholm syndrome”. Actually I had never heard this before so I searched it on the Internet. I was very surprised after I read the information I found because I realized I really had this “disease”.

Stockholm syndrome was found in 1973 when four robbers broke into a bank in Stockholm and kidnaped four hostages. After the four hostages were saved six days later, they did not want to punish the robbers. On the contrary, they tried to protect the robbers. Since then, this strange mental disease was found and concentrated. The FBI’s Hostage Barricade Database System shows that roughly 27% of victims show evidence of Stockholm syndrome.

Stockholm syndrome can happen if the following four conditions are satisfied.

1.      Hostages believe that their lives are in danger.

2.      The robbers distribute grace to the victims.

3.      Hostages are separated from the rest of world. They can only get information from the robbers.

4.      Hostages believe that it is impossible to escape.

Hostages are totally dependent on the robbers, just like infants are totally dependent on their parents. Actually there are lots of similarities between infants and hostages. Some experts said Stockholm syndrome may develop from this. I agree with this and I think this is the nature of human beings. In other words, human beings are not the perfect dominators. Human beings can also be easily domesticated.

If a terrorist aim your head with a gun and told you gently “the highest right of human beings is to live”, will you be particularly feared? Will you listen to the terrorist? If the answers are “yes”, then you also have the “Stockholm syndrome”.