Stockholm syndrome
- an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence, and a need to cooperate for survival.
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Origin of Stockholm syndrome
after an incident in Stockholm in 1973, during which a bank employee became romantically attached to a robber who held her hostage
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Stockholm syndrome
- a psychological condition in which hostages or kidnap victims become sympathetic towards their captors
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Word Origin
C20: after a group of hostages in Stockholm in 1973
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for stockholm syndrome
Stockholm Syndrome
1978, a psychologists' term; the name derives from the Aug. 23, 1973, violent armed robbery of Sveriges Kreditbank in Stockholm, Sweden, after which four bank employees were held hostage in a vault for more than five days. The hostages developed a dramatic attachment to their abuser, and a fear of would-be rescuers, that they could not explain. The city arose mid-13c. from a fishing village; the second element in the name is holm "island;" the first is either stäk "bay" or stock "stake, pole."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Stockholm syndrome
(stŏk′hōlm′, -hōm′)- A phenomenon in which a hostage begins to identify with and grow sympathetic to his or her captor.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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