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Stockholm syndrome

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noun Psychiatry.
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, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Stockholm syndrome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Stockholm syndrome

Stockholm syndrome

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

Word Origin for Stockholm syndrome

C20: after a group of hostages in Stockholm in 1973
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for Stockholm syndrome

Stockholm syndrome
[ stŏk′hōlm′, -hōm′ ]

n.
A phenomenon in which a hostage begins to identify with and grow sympathetic to his or her captor.
The American HeritageĀ® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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