Stockholm syndrome -A self delusive survival strategy

“Stockholm syndrome” is a subject of several movies that has fascinated film makers over the years.It is a phenomenon that has gained immense popularity from numerous high profile abduction and hostage cases. Stockholm syndrome also known as “capture bonding”is a psychological phenomenon where victims develop emotional bonding with their captors.It is not a disorder but a kind of survival mechanism used unconsciously by the victims for self- preservation. There is no widely agreed upon diagnostic criteria to identify Stockholm syndrome and it doesn’t appear in the DSM or ICD. Although many researches have been carried out on Stockholm syndrome but the experts have never been able to identify a single factor or factors that are responsible to make some people more vulnerable to developing Stockholm syndrome as compared to some others. An extensive literature search was done to analyze the history, causes, symptoms, treatment and popular Stockholm syndrome cases so as to help understand this psychological mystery.