Comments on everyday psychology: Why do kidnap victims sometimes fail to escape, e...

a very insightful article... and no, I don't think...

2010-02-24T16:08:10.576-08:00

a very insightful article... and no, I don't think it could be taught in schools. It is also another thing to understand child development in this matter. How children learn things, understand their situation ..etc... it may be difficult for children to plan ahead like adults what they should do to avoid this and that..etc... if as a child, they have not learned to grow and understand themselves, it might be difficult for them to understand what is happening to them as well when they are adults....

my 2 cents...

Everyone should be required to read about Stockhol...

2010-02-01T02:06:02.722-08:00

Everyone should be required to read about Stockholm Syndrome in school. Then maybe there would be a lot more sympathy & empathy for kidnap victims& abused women. Way too many people in this world succumb to the "blame-the-victim" mentality. It's way past time people started blaming the criminals/abusers.

why do domestic violence sufferers go back?

2009-12-30T15:08:15.584-08:00

why do domestic violence sufferers go back?

I am a state official in New York and although I h...

2009-12-08T20:55:34.723-08:00

I am a state official in New York and although I have had the prior knowledge/experience necessary to fully understand stockholm syndrome, I to this day still find myself at times thinking this victim had put themselves in this position. Cognitive therapy is one of the only ways known to unlock some of the 90 some odd % of the human brains power and capacity that we havn't ourselves yet to learn how and what we can do to adapt/survive any earthly manifestations. I have seen many cases such as the above mentioned, each with slight variations and it has brought me to wonder - Do we sometimes accept pyschological torture as a means to expand our own pyschological endurance? Perhaps victims that have exercised behavior such as stolkholm syndrome do not realize they are subconciously "testing themselves" to become more powerful and to potentially explore other powers of the human brain for self-expansion? Perhaps it is a test of endurance. The article is very well-written and helps bring a more clear understanding to the layperson of what triggers these behaviors. "This wouldn't happen to me because I am now aware of this mechanism called stockholm syndrome...not true. Can you imagine peacefully enduring a 20 year sentence in an enclosed prison cell? Perhaps not, however there have been countless cases of individuals who want to return to prison because they are overwhelmed by the pressure of the "outside world". This is because after such a period of time, that cell is what they've come to know and love as home. Pre-modern civilization humans perhaps couldn't ever imagine being content living inside a home, sleeping on a mattress, or laboring 8 hour days for a piece of paper that establishes value and freedom...This is where I can see religion and science come together. God's design is more powerful than any of us may ever know. Perhaps the perputrator has fallen victim to his own plan and the victim has developed a more powerful adaptive system that will help them handle something seemingly more out of their control in the future or perhaps coach others on a path to freedom.

Excellent article. I have never understood this ph...

2009-11-17T09:14:25.687-08:00

Excellent article. I have never understood this phenom better than I do now. I also understand now why I "looked up" to my abusive mother and always covered her tracks. Thank you for clarification and an explanation that helps us all understand the many facets of human survival.

The explaination of how we have a hard time accept...

2009-11-09T00:36:55.013-08:00

The explaination of how we have a hard time accepting the fact that bad things can happen to good people still has me thinking. I also cannot get out of my mind how many years sooner Jaycee could have escaped her hell if a couple of parole officers & local officials had done their job.

Thank you for making sense of something that has t...

2009-11-01T21:55:38.885-08:00

Thank you for making sense of something that has troubled me for over 30 years.

I am also a survivor and experienced 18 years of b...

2009-09-29T10:00:09.404-07:00

I am also a survivor and experienced 18 years of battering in the home as a child growing up. The power was in the hands of my father and I had come to identify with him and look to him in admiration since he had the respect and the power. I placed blame on my mother since she sat by all those years and did nothing--did not come to my rescue. She was also a victim. Sad.

I've been working at understanding more of perhaps...

2009-09-23T18:44:04.998-07:00

I've been working at understanding more of perhaps what Jaycee experienced. I experienced a lot of damage being raised in many different foster care homes from a young age. Even in the worst of homes I was always told by everyone on the 'outside' how 'lucky' I was to have a home. If we complained about any of the abuse our lives were made even more of a living hell. I am to this day a very quiet person because I learned to keep my mouth shut and ears and eyes open. I find it very hard to trust anyone but found and married my very best of friends. Adjusting will be hard for Jaycee and everyone that loves her but she is a survivor!!! She will make a good life for herself. Everyone needs to be super gentle and supportive of her. She does not need anyone's judgement only our love.

I just finished reading Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,...

2009-09-19T09:50:40.863-07:00

I just finished reading Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, in which a 13 year old boy is kidnapped by slavers and forced to endure a slave ship journey to Africa. During that time, he managed to stay resolutely against slavery, though the rest of the crew were pro-slavery, with the silent exception of one "Christian" mate, Ned Grimes, the ship carpenter. Is it realistic to think that a 13 year old boy could stand psychologically against an entire crew?

I have often wondered about this topic. This is t...

2009-09-02T18:45:08.640-07:00

I have often wondered about this topic. This is the best explaination I've ever read. Thank you.

I also read because I was concerned and curious of...

2009-09-01T15:04:15.983-07:00

I also read because I was concerned and curious of what might happen to Jaycee Dugard in her new life after her kidnapping... thanks for the article.

I am a survivor of long term domestic violence...i...

2009-09-01T14:52:57.522-07:00

I am a survivor of long term domestic violence...in the form of years and years (15+) of physical, emotional, and extreme sexual abuse. I can attest to this phenomena happening, along with the reality of post traumatic stress symptoms, such as flashbacks, and extreme memory lapses, "forgetting" the abuse...in order to cope and live. Blaming a victim is society's way of saying ,"this could never happen to me." It is a societal form of coping with the unthinkable...of coping with man's inhumanity to man/woman. Do not ever ask why the victim did not leave...ask why the perpetrators aren't in jail. There is nothing "domestic" about domestic violence..it is criminal...it is violence. It is one of America's dark secrets.

I also read because of Jaycee. Thanks.

2009-09-01T00:15:50.681-07:00

I also read because of Jaycee. Thanks.

I hope and pray that Jaycee and her daughters can ...

2009-08-30T19:12:07.233-07:00

I hope and pray that Jaycee and her daughters can be successfully resocialized. It will take a miracle it seems.

Your article explains really well. I read this be...

2009-08-30T10:57:56.322-07:00

Your article explains really well. I read this because of Jaycee Lee Dugard.

I came across and read this because of the Jaycee ...

2009-08-29T15:05:25.007-07:00

I came across and read this because of the Jaycee Lee Dugard case - it is a very interesting article, which helps clarify things.

Now we can add Jaycee Dugard. This article helps ...

2009-08-29T12:15:33.467-07:00

Now we can add Jaycee Dugard. This article helps to understand.

Great article thanks.

2009-02-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

Great article thanks.