Stockholm syndrome

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence, and a need to cooperate for survival.

Stockholm syndrome

noun

1. a psychological condition in which hostages or kidnap victims become sympathetic towards their captors

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stockholm syndrome¹

After an incident in Stockholm in 1973, during which a bank employee became romantically attached to a robber who held her hostage

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stockholm syndrome¹

C20: after a group of hostages in Stockholm in 1973

Example Sentences

In the interview in Vanity Fair, she portrayed Cohen as a man with “Stockholm syndrome” who was enthralled by a cruel and abusive boss because he “saw how Trump treated his own children and how mean he was to them, and I think he thought that if he’s treating me like that, then I am part of the family.”

From Slate

But it was Marcello Hernandez who had the most impact with his portrayal of Noem’s other puppy, Cricket the 7th, who defended the governor while apparently suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

From Los Angeles Times

I’d succumbed to Stockholm syndrome, a captive identifying with the many whistleblowers I’ve come to know in a career writing about air disasters.

From Slate

Despite the horrors they endure, some trafficking victims begin to form attachments to their abusers over time like a form of Stockholm Syndrome and begin to define their self-worth as “coming from people who purchase them” for sex, Rush said.

From Los Angeles Times

And there remains a great deal of speculation as to whether or not Stockholm syndrome played a part in her sticking with the group for well past the point when she could have freely walked to the nearest police station to ask to be taken back home.

From Salon