I do not remember much detail about the 'Stockholm Syndrome' but what I do remember is the psychology behind the principle. Evidently, in a bank robbery in Stockholm, the robbers took hostages which they kept in captivity over a period of 4-5 day. At the end of the 'ordeal', the hostages had gotten emotionally attached to their captors and even defended them/ their actions. Evidently, the emotions in a hostage- captor relationship start out with hatred, perhaps revulsion, loathing and maybe, in extreme cases, even a desire to kill the captor. However, in a vast majority of cases, the loathing turns to loving, the animosity turns to adoration and adulation. Now, without trying to do a Freud act and attempt to reason why, lets talk about a modern day variation of the Stockholm Syndrome.
The biggest difference in the new syndrome is that it does not start out with hatred. Almost in a reverse chronological order, it starts out as covetousness, and following captivation by the desired captor, the relationship goes through a roller coaster of emotions. Even before one wakes up, one's hands start reaching for it. Pride, adulation, adoration, second thoughts, doubts, adjustment, compromise, frustration, compromise again, disenchantment and detachment, all form a part of this wild hormone fueled emotional ride. The initial phases are the most interesting. In this new avatar of Stockholm Syndrome, covetousness, when it does result in possession, or as I call it, willing captivation, one can't keep his/ her hands off the captor. To avoid gender confusion, let's call the captivator- it. One wants to touch it, feel it, play with it all the time. It is the last thing that one sees before drifting off to sleep and out in search for the hostage taker. One shows it off to the world, yet bristles with ill disguised jealousy if anyone expresses too much of an interest in it. Such is the level of possessiveness that one does not want to, and often does not let it out of one's sight. One wants to hold it all the time and usually does whenever possible.
People will be people, and there was Devil in paradise too. At some stage, sooner or later, the devil starts rearing its head and starts creating doubts in the mind of the captive. Is this what you wanted? Is that 'all' that you wanted? See, it does not have this trait, it does not have that quality, it is incomplete. Oh you poor, poor bugger, you deserve so much more! It does not do this for you, it can not do this! Does it do this that another one can do? The one that you don't have, but should have, can give you so much pleasure! It can keep you awake nights as once you used to! Don't you wish those days of jealous possessiveness and nights of cuddling up together come back again??!! All those thoughts are like tiny spores scattered in the wind, it needs just one to take root and grow to bear the fruit of disenchantment. But hey! the disenchantment does not mean total detachment from all ilk of captors, it just means the longing to change one prison from the other, and the metaphorical changing the frying pan for the fire by opting for a devil you don't know takes place and one starts looking for 'The New One', the one which will enthrall, captivate, hypnotize, enrapture and imprison one with its charms.
When the 'New One' is found, the old it gets dumped like food that has grown a fungus mould. The dumper feels so, so good to be liberated from the old one and willingly surrenders to the bewitchery, the glamour, the sensuous curves and the allurement of the new captor.
Sigh and Alas! This does not end here. Like cutting Ravana's head just yielded another one in its place, similarly, this cycle ends only to start again. See what Cellphones do to us??!!
You Dawg! What did you think I was talking about??!! Wink!
The biggest difference in the new syndrome is that it does not start out with hatred. Almost in a reverse chronological order, it starts out as covetousness, and following captivation by the desired captor, the relationship goes through a roller coaster of emotions. Even before one wakes up, one's hands start reaching for it. Pride, adulation, adoration, second thoughts, doubts, adjustment, compromise, frustration, compromise again, disenchantment and detachment, all form a part of this wild hormone fueled emotional ride. The initial phases are the most interesting. In this new avatar of Stockholm Syndrome, covetousness, when it does result in possession, or as I call it, willing captivation, one can't keep his/ her hands off the captor. To avoid gender confusion, let's call the captivator- it. One wants to touch it, feel it, play with it all the time. It is the last thing that one sees before drifting off to sleep and out in search for the hostage taker. One shows it off to the world, yet bristles with ill disguised jealousy if anyone expresses too much of an interest in it. Such is the level of possessiveness that one does not want to, and often does not let it out of one's sight. One wants to hold it all the time and usually does whenever possible.
People will be people, and there was Devil in paradise too. At some stage, sooner or later, the devil starts rearing its head and starts creating doubts in the mind of the captive. Is this what you wanted? Is that 'all' that you wanted? See, it does not have this trait, it does not have that quality, it is incomplete. Oh you poor, poor bugger, you deserve so much more! It does not do this for you, it can not do this! Does it do this that another one can do? The one that you don't have, but should have, can give you so much pleasure! It can keep you awake nights as once you used to! Don't you wish those days of jealous possessiveness and nights of cuddling up together come back again??!! All those thoughts are like tiny spores scattered in the wind, it needs just one to take root and grow to bear the fruit of disenchantment. But hey! the disenchantment does not mean total detachment from all ilk of captors, it just means the longing to change one prison from the other, and the metaphorical changing the frying pan for the fire by opting for a devil you don't know takes place and one starts looking for 'The New One', the one which will enthrall, captivate, hypnotize, enrapture and imprison one with its charms.
When the 'New One' is found, the old it gets dumped like food that has grown a fungus mould. The dumper feels so, so good to be liberated from the old one and willingly surrenders to the bewitchery, the glamour, the sensuous curves and the allurement of the new captor.
Sigh and Alas! This does not end here. Like cutting Ravana's head just yielded another one in its place, similarly, this cycle ends only to start again. See what Cellphones do to us??!!
You Dawg! What did you think I was talking about??!! Wink!
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