Stockholm Syndrome’S Role In Exploitation. Life Threatening

Stockholm Syndrome’s Role in Exploitation Life threatening situations produce feelings of inefficacy, when in reality individuals often have some extent of control over the outcome. Psychological research concludes that human brains assume control during traumatizing times, often without the individual being conscious of it occurring. A common area when our brains go into an â€Å"autopilot† mode is during situations of exploitation, specifically in those who are exploited. Stockholm syndrome represents one such ‘autopilot’ process; a psychological phenomenon that causes those who are in stressful situations to develop a feeling of trust for who/what is causing them distress. Stockholm Syndrome presents a unique coping mechanism for trauma†¦show more content†¦During a traumatic event, victims subconsciously attempt to increase chances of survival by pleasing the criminals who have total control over them. In fact, â€Å"victims exhibit sympathy and positive bonding towards captors while fear, d istrust and even hostility may be directed† at those who are trying to save the hostages (Speckhard et. al. Mufel 148). After seeing that the psychological effects of Stockholm were so common in hostage situations, perpetrators took note of the phenomenon and brought it to the front of their criminal strategies. Perpetrators began to use the â€Å"advantage of Stockholm syndrome to get victims to comply† with captivity, and inevitably aid in the captor s success of whichever illegal crime he/she commits (Fabrique et. al. Van Hasselt 12). Inevitably, Stockholm syndrome is not only present in hostage situations, but also in other areas where exploitation is common. Understanding Stockholm syndrome remains crucial in understanding all the issues it occurs during. Recruiters of child soldiers utilize the effects of Stockholm syndrome in their juvenile recruits for further success in exploitation. Child soldiers have become very common in places of constant war or combat. With the need for more soldiers as others die off, the juvenile population in places such as West Africa and the Middle East is plentiful. Militant recruiters in these regions