Stockholm Work Syndrome: What It Is And How To Identify It

When talking about “Stockholm syndrome”, very popular cases come to mind in the media, such as the “Monster of Amstettem”, who held his daughter captive for 24 years or Natasha Kampush, the young woman who managed to escape after eight years captive. To focus the issue, in the first place the stockholm syndrome is defined as a “temporary psychological disorder that appears in the person who has been kidnapped and that consists of showing understanding and benevolent with the conduct of the kidnappers and progressively identifying with their ideas” .

The term “Stockholm syndrome” comes from an incident in Stockholm, where a cashier claimed to fully trust one of her robbers. Many studies claim that the stockholm syndrome describes the positive bond that the victim develops with her abductor (Namnyak et al., 2007). “It is a process of” identification with the aggressor “, being considered as an automatic emotional response, often unconscious, to the trauma of victimization (de Fabrique, Van Hasselt, Vecchi and Romano, 2007)”, says José María Ribé Viñes, psychologist general sanitary.

“The kidnapped may not try to escape from his captor. He can even be disappointed when the situation is resolved, ”says Óscar Richi Ibáñez, a humanistic psychologist.

The Stockholm syndrome can be carried out in various fields – such as work – with its peculiarities and common points. “Valid diagnostic criteria regarding the specific clinical signs and symptoms of Stockholm syndrome have not yet been described. Some studies confirm that it is necessary to carry out more empirical evaluations ”, emphasizes Ribé.

In the case of occupational Stockholm syndrome, the worker’s self-esteem decreases. In the company there is a negative treatment towards him, which can become humiliating and disrespectful, even an inconvenient economic remuneration, with colleagues and / or bosses. That is, psychological abuse and torture. “The Stockholm labor syndrome has to do with the professional relationship between a worker and his company, when the former comes to justify, even accept, daily tension and inappropriate treatment,” says Ibáñez Richi.

How do I know if I suffer from occupational Stockholm syndrome?

Stockholm syndrome falls into the category of “post-traumatic.” When an individual accepts comments that damage his self-esteem, that diminish his capacity for work and his daily life, they condition him at the level of friends and family or they concur in fear, there is submission. “A person suffers from Stockholm syndrome when he identifies without him knowing it, with his aggressor. This happens with victims of kidnappings, physical and / or psychological violence and of course in the workplace. It does not influence the gender or age of the people involved, ”says Richi.

How is it different from clinical Stocolomus syndrome?

The differences between clinical Stockholm syndrome and occupational Stockholm syndrome are focused on the context and the participants. “In the Stockholm work syndrome, the person maintains a disharmonious relationship with their colleagues or bosses.

Who suffers it, argues and can consent to abuse by others until these behaviors are normalized, that is, humiliation, manipulation, emotional blackmail, disregard and attitudes of contempt ”, declares Ribé.

In clinical Stockholm syndrome the victim has been forced or held captive and against their wishes.

“Occupational Stockholm syndrome derives from the clinician. Certain aspects unite them. However, they differ in that, in the labor stockholm syndrome, the person, in this case the worker, has entered and continues in the company, voluntarily. Nobody has forced or obliges him to abide by certain ways of other people ”, refers the humanist psychologist.

Stockholm labor syndrome and its relationship with attachment

Over time, disorders such as anxiety or depression may appear in the worker. Also the “learned helplessness syndrome”, since the subject adapts to that way of life even if it hurts.

“The Stockholm labor syndrome is a behavior of attachment or nexus to companies that harm their workers in the emotional and psychological fields, because of unfair conditions”, emphasizes Richi.

Ribé points out that “the Stockholm syndrome is considered a relationship of emotional attachment of the victim towards his captor ” (Gordon, 2005).

How to overcome the labor stockholm syndrome?

The expert in psychology, Ribé Viñes, emphasizes that for a person to recover from Stockholm labor syndrome, it is effective to keep in mind the following recommendations:

• Identify the psychological discomfort and become aware that you are being the victim of an unfair situation that no one deserves. You must analyze and identify what is happening and consult those rights that correspond as a worker.
• Recognize inappropriate behaviors suffered.
• Rework the traumatic experience.
• Analyze the mechanisms that the person has developed to face the emotional impact experienced.
• Enhance self-esteem as well as its attributes: self-confidence, self-image, self- worth, openness …
• Consider changing jobs: If the situation does not improve, it is best to leave and find another place. On the other hand, if the person wants to remain in the company, they must make certain issues clear and not allow abuse to occur again.
• To assert oneself and respect and bear in mind that no one deserves to suffer, or see their dignity and personal integrity corrupted.