What do WWII battles, ballistic missiles, and the deadly brown tree snake have in common?
As time passed, Smart became a submissive prisoner through psychological abuse, violence, and threats against her and her family. Eventually, she began going on outings with Mitchell and Barzee. And at one point, she was even questioned by the police, but she didn't reveal her identity or ask for help.
Elizabeth Smart was only 14-years-old when she was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002. Her kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, had once worked for Smart's family.
Mitchell (pictured) took Smart to a campsite 18 miles (29 km) away from her home. For approximately nine months, Smart was held captive by him and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was abused and forced to wear a wig and veil.
The four hostages were held captive in a bank vault for six days, but it quickly became evident that they were bonding with Olsson (pictured) and Olofsson. During a phone call with Prime Minister Olof Palme, Kristin Ehnmark, who reportedly developed the closest bond with Olsson, expressed her disappointment that the robbers' demands weren't being met. She even said that she fully trusted them.
When Mitchell and Barzee returned to Salt Lake City after spending the winter in San Diego, Smart was recognized, and the couple was arrested.
After the crime, both Olsson and Olofsson (pictured standing) were charged and convicted, but Olofsson’s charges were ultimately dropped due to claims that he was only there to save the hostages. The victims raised money for their court fees, and even refused to testify against them.
On June 10, 1991, 11-year-old girl Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped by convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido as she walked to a bus stop. Dugard was held captive for nearly 18 years.
Eventually, suspicions arose, and police showed up to investigate Garrido. Dugard met with them and introduced herself as "Alissa." She defended Garrido and acknowledged that while he was a known sex offender, he was a changed man. But Dugard eventually revealed her identity, and Garrido and his wife were arrested.
Dugard was reunited with her family after nearly two decades. She shared that she felt a deep emotional connection with Garrido, but later denounced his actions, saying "I adapted to survive my circumstances."
TWA Flight 847 was a 1985 flight from Cairo to San Diego, with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. Shortly after takeoff from Athens, it was hijacked by Shiite Hezbollah terrorists, who initially demanded the identities of Jewish passengers.
Jan-Erik Olsson, a 32-year-old convict, attempted to rob Sveriges Kreditbank in Norrmalmstorg square. He took four hostages (pictured): Birgitta Lundblad, Elisabeth Oldgren, Kristin Ehnmark, and Sven Säfström. Olsson demanded that his friend and criminal partner Clark Olofsson be released from prison and delivered to the bank, and police complied.
However, the relationship continued until she became pregnant, and her father arranged to have the pregnancy terminated. After that, she finally found the strength to stop the abuse.
One of the most shocking cases of Stockholm syndrome is that of actress Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of John Phillips from The Mamas and The Papas. In her 2009 memoir 'High on Arrival,' she revealed that she passed out after a drug binge at the age of 19, and woke up to find her father sexually assaulting her. She proceeded to have a consensual, drug-fueled relationship with him for the next decade.
For the next eight years, Kampusch lived in a cellar under Přiklopil’s garage, which was soundproof and windowless. Kampusch was starved, mentally abused, and beaten to keep her too weak to escape.
Her acceptance of the relationship ended when John Phillips began talking about moving to Fiji with his other children and living with her as his wife.
Finally, in August 2006, Kampusch had her chance to run while Přiklopil left to answer a phone call while she was cleaning his car. She ran to a neighbor, who contacted authorities. Shortly after Kampusch was under police protection, Přiklopil killed himself by jumping in front of a train. Kampusch was deeply affected, and openly admitted to grieving over his passing.
As time went on, Kampusch was allowed to leave the room and go into other parts of the house. But she was told the windows and doors were rigged with explosives that would go off if she tried to escape.
On March 2, 1998, 10-year-old Natascha Kampusch was kidnapped by Wolfgang Přiklopil in Vienna's Donaustadt district in Austria.
Hearst remained in prison for two years until President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence. She was later pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
On September 18, 1975, Hearst was captured by the FBI. She was charged along with her captors and sentenced to 35 years in prison, which was later dropped to seven years. As her defense, Hearst claimed she had been brainwashed by her kidnappers.
Having been abducted for political and financial leverage, Hearst lived with her captors for over a year. And even after being tortured and isolated, she eventually joined her kidnappers and became a revolutionary. Hearst took part in bank robberies and promoted their propaganda.
The case of 19-year-old Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of publisher William Randolph Hearst, is one of the most famous examples of Stockholm syndrome. On February 4, 1974, members of the terrorist group the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) broke into Hearst’s apartment, attacked her fiancé, and kidnapped her.
Over time, Parnell convinced Stayner that his parents didn't want him anymore. Eventually, Parnell publicly posed as Stayner's father and enrolled him in school under the name Dennis Gregory Parnell. Stayner never tried to escape, though he later shared that he did wonder whether Parnell was telling the truth about his parents.
See also: 90 years on: The tragic life story of the Dionne quintuplets
When Stayner was 14, Parnell kidnapped five-year-old Timothy White. This prompted Stayner to run away with White. When they finally went to the police, Stayner had been "Dennis" for so long that he had trouble remembering his real name. Tragically, a decade later, he was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Sources: (Grunge) (Britannica)
Kidnapped less than a year before Stockholm syndrome was first conceptualized, Steven Stayner was only seven years old when he was taken by Kenneth Parnell. For the next seven years, Stayner was held captive and sexually abused by Parnell. Both are seen in this picture.
Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy abused and imprisoned Dugard, forcing her to live in a shed in their yard. During her captivity, Dugard had two daughters, fathered by Garrido.
Dozens of passengers were held hostage over the next two weeks, until they were released by their captors after some of their demands were met. And many of these hostages expressed sympathy for the hijackers, especially because they received relatively good treatment.
The phrase "Stockholm syndrome" was coined by criminologist and psychologist Nils Bejerot. It originated with the Norrmalmstorg bank robbery, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 23, 1973.
The hijackers demanded the release of 700 Shia Muslims from Israeli custody and took the plane repeatedly to Beirut and Algiers. US Navy diver Robert Stethem (pictured) was murdered.
Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response, typically displayed in victims of kidnapping, hostage situations, and abuse. Experiencing an undoubtedly traumatic situation, the captive begins to identify closely with his or her captor(s), as well as with their agenda and demands. And while Stockholm syndrome is still being heavily studied, most psychologists and medical professionals agree that it's an emotional and behavioral coping mechanism developed by the victim to survive the trauma they're going through.
That said, there have been a number of infamous examples of Stockholm syndrome. Click on for some of the most disturbing cases ever recorded.
The most infamous cases of Stockholm syndrome
Disturbing cases of victims who become attached to their captors
LIFESTYLE Psychology
Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response, typically displayed in victims of kidnapping, hostage situations, and abuse. Experiencing an undoubtedly traumatic situation, the captive begins to identify closely with his or her captor(s), as well as with their agenda and demands. And while Stockholm syndrome is still being heavily studied, most psychologists and medical professionals agree that it's an emotional and behavioral coping mechanism developed by the victim to survive the trauma they're going through.
That said, there have been a number of infamous examples of Stockholm syndrome. Click on for some of the most disturbing cases ever recorded.