How did “Stockholm syndrome” arise? |
There are few people who have not heard the expression “Stockholm syndrome”. But how did this term, which expresses the sympathy and even love of the captive to the enslaver and the oppressed to the oppressor, come about?
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Jan Erik Ulsson was born in 1941 near Helsingborg, Sweden. There is not much information about the first half of his life. But it is known that he was an expert in opening safes and in the early 1970s imprisonment was drawing Here he met Clark Olofsson, who was already considered a recidivist, even though he was young (born in 1947) and became a fan of this criminal who was 6 years younger than him.
Ulsson’s status at the time of the event that would give rise to the term “Stockholm Syndrome” is also somewhat murky. In some sources it is said that he was on leave from prison (there are such cases in civilized countries), in another he escaped from prison, and in the third he was released on parole.
On August 23, 1973, Jan-Erik first went to Pressbyran, a store in central Stockholm, where he changed his clothes: he put on sunglasses, put ointment on his face and put on a wig. After that, he came to Norrmalmstorg square (in Sweden, the event is sometimes called “Normalmstorgsdramat”, i.e. Norrmalmstorg drama) and entered “Sveriges Kreditbank” located there. At the entrance, like a true gentleman, he held the door for the old lady. Clock 10just spent
Pulling out an automatic weapon from under his jacket, Ulsson shouts “the party is on”. He was probably going to take the money and leave, but the security guard the police managed to press the alarm. The robber who wounded the policeman takes 3 women working in the bank as hostages.
Soon bank the police is surrounded by Ulsson also makes his own demands. he imprisonment of his friend Olofsson free he wants to be brought to the bank, in addition to 3 million kroner, 2 automatic weapons, a protective vest, a helmet and a speed car is required. Police He takes Olofsson from prison and brings him to the bank. Ulofsson also found a male employee hiding here, whom Ulsson had not seen. As a result, the number of hostages was four.
But other demands were not fulfilled so promptly. The main difference was that the robbers wanted to go along with the hostages, and the government did not agree to this at all. However, the Ford Mustang was filled with gasoline and kept ready for their departure.
It should also be said that at that time Sweden was on the eve of elections. The results of opinion polls have been in power since 1936 social– was not encouraging for the democrats. The party led by Olof Palmen was predicted to take the first place again, but the majority in the parliament was expected to go to the right parties. The failure of the rescue operation at “Kreditbank” would confirm this possibility.
For safety, the robbers moved with the hostages to a small room where the deposits were kept. Thus, the hostage incident turned into a drama that lasted for days.
In negotiations with criminals and hostages Prime Minister Olof Palmen himself was present. When Ulsson talks to him, he threatens to kill the hostages. Later, one of the hostages, 23-year-old Christine Enmark, spoke to the prime minister, which was broadcast live on radio.
Already at this time, the symptoms of the condition that will later be called “Stockholm syndrome” begin to be felt. When Enmark talks to Palme, he accuses the government. He wants to be allowed to go with the robbers, “I to them trust I do,” he says. Entering the bank to check the health of the hostages, the police commissioner notices that they are friendly with the criminals and treat him as an enemy.
On August 26, the police opened a hole in the ceiling of the warehouse. From here, the camera dangled first. The famous photo of Olofsson and the four hostages was also taken at this time. The robbers were also aware of that hole. Ulsson fired twice into the hole, wounding the policeman’s hand and face. Moreover, from the hole gas threatened to kill the hostages if they were released.
However, on August 28, a tear into the room gas bails were not touched when released. Ulsson and Olofsson surrendered. Nothing happened to the hostages. Ulsson 10 year imprisonment received the punishment. He was initially found guilty, but acquitted by the Court of Appeal, despite what Olofsson said about wanting to help the hostages and appease Ulsson. However, he was sent to prison to serve out his previous sentence, and later repeatedly crime became one of Sweden’s most famous villains.
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From the end of the hostage situation, strange things happened. A tearjerker gas The police who released them first demanded the release of the hostages, then Ulsson and Olofsson. But the friends were afraid that the police might beat them or even shoot them after the hostages got out and walked away. Therefore, they wanted to leave together with the hostages. This desire was natural, the strange thing was that the hostages also shared this fear and did not want to leave the robbers quickly. In the end, they came out together.
Before surrendering, the robbers and the hostages kissed and parted. When the police caught the robbers, the two hostages shouted, “Don’t touch them, they haven’t done anything bad to us.” “See you, Clark,” Enmark said as he passed the handcuffed Olofsson on a stretcher. The next day, one of the hostages, 21-year-old Elizabeth Oldgren, asked the psychiatrist: “Is something wrong with me? Why don’t I hate them?’. All this was so unexpected that the police even investigated whether the hostages, especially Christine Enmark, were in league with the criminals.
Court During the trial, the hostages testify in favor of Ulsson and Olofsson. They visit them in prison. It was this behavior that led to the emergence of the so-called “Stockholm syndrome”.
In fact, it is not difficult to understand the reasons for this phenomenon. During similar events, a situation arises where the hostage feels in a stable relationship system, even though he is in slavery. The criminal does not want anything from him, whatever he wants, he wants from the government. It is the government’s action (rescue operation) or inaction (non-fulfilment of demands) that can disrupt these stable relationships and threaten the hostage’s life. In any case, the hostage thinks so and sees the threat to himself from the government.
On the other hand, bail depends entirely on the criminal and his whim. The slaver is the judge-absolute. He can kill her at any time. The hostage just feels grateful to him for not killing. Moreover, when he gives any permission, he already creates sympathy for himself. Girov thinks that he could have called me “soaking his clothes”, but he allowed me to go to the toilet, what a nice person he is.
Similar events happened in “Sveriges Kreditbank”. Ulsson had thrown his jacket over Christine Enmark’s shoulder when she began to shiver. Birggita Lundblada, 31, let her call home. When no one raised the support, he said, “Don’t give up, try again.” When Elizabeth Aldgren said she was claustrophobic, to her feet 10 tying a meter long rope, he agreed to go out of the storage place.
What happened with the only male hostage, Sven Safstrom, was interesting. One day in captivity, Ulsson becomes frustrated with the government’s intransigence and says he must do something to get it to act. Sven thinks the criminal is going to kill him now, but when Ulsson says he’ll shoot him in the leg instead, he feels relieved and grateful for the man who threatened him. What was more interesting was that the female hostages also encouraged Sven that do not be afraid, nothing will happen, if you put up with it a little, these poor people will be fine. Fortunately, Ulsson doesn’t do what he says.
Usually such feelings free shortly after it is taken, the former hostage begins to assess the situation more soundly. Perhaps the personal qualities of the criminals – perhaps charisma, sense of humor, persuasiveness, etc. – were responsible for such lasting emotions in Stockholm. – also played a role.
In prison, Ulsson received letters from many female fans. After his release from prison in the early 1980s, he married one of them (sometimes incorrectly written as having married one of the hostages). He never went to jail again. He lived in Thailand with his family since 1996. In 2013, he returned to Sweden and publicly apologized for the hostage incident.
The successful conclusion of the hostage incident, as well as the overthrow of the leftist Allende government in Chile (September 11) and the death of King Gustav VI (September 15) are considered events that saved the Palme government in the elections. In the elections held on September 16 social the democrats won 156 seats, and the left communists, their allies, won 19 seats. The three right-wing parties won a total of 175 seats and failed to show no confidence in Palme’s government. In order not to repeat such a draw, the number of seats in the Swedish Parliament was reduced by 1 to 349 in the next elections. In those elections social– the end of 40 years of uninterrupted power of the democrats has come.
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