Is Stockholm Syndrome A Myth?

The article looks at how the idea of Stockholm syndrome began and why it is still debated. Jan Erik Olsson took four staff members hostage at the Sveriges Kreditbank for six days in 1973. Police psychiatrist Nils Bejerot called stenographer Kristin Enmark the first case, even though he never spoke with her. Enmark has spent many years insisting she never felt affection for her captor and criticizing the police tactics. Some psychologists and scholars say the label was used to silence her and to label a woman who challenged authority as sick. The syndrome never entered the DSM manual, showing it lacks a solid scientific basis and that it shapes how people view victims.