On August 23, 1973, a bank robbery and hostage situation took place at Sveriges Kreditbanken in Stockholm’s Norrmalmstorg square, leading to the coining of the term “Stockholm syndrome.” The perpetrator of the crime was Jan-Erik Olsson, an escaped prisoner sentenced to three years in prison for grand larceny. Olsson, who put on an American accent to disguise his identity, burst into the bank armed with a submachine gun and declared, “The party has just begun.”
After wounding a police officer, Olsson proceeded to hold four bank employees hostage for five days. During this time, he demanded approximately $700,000 in Swedish and foreign currency, a getaway car, and the release of Clark Olofsson, a fellow prisoner. Despite the authorities meeting his demands, Olsson refused to release the hostages or leave the bank. The entire ordeal unfolded on television, making it the first Swedish crime to be broadcast in real-time.
The standoff finally came to an end on August 28 when Swedish police used tear gas to apprehend Olsson and Olofsson. Although none of the hostages were physically harmed, their behavior during the incident intrigued mental health professionals. They quickly developed a bond with their captors, with Olsson even giving one of them a keepsake bullet from his gun. The hostages were on a first-name basis with the robbers and expressed concern for their well-being.
One hostage, Kristin Enmark, told Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme that she trusted the robbers and feared a police intervention that could lead to their deaths. She insisted that Olsson and Olofsson leave the bank vault before any of the hostages. Both perpetrators were arrested without incident and sentenced to prison. Despite their initial confrontational roles, the hostages later visited them in prison, showing a complex relationship that puzzled experts.
Jan-Erik Olsson, born in 1941, is believed to be in his early 80s, while Clark Olofsson, born in 1947, is around 76 years old. The bond between the hostages and captors led to the creation of the term “Stockholm syndrome” by criminologists and psychologists. This phenomenon involves positive feelings toward captors, sympathy for their beliefs, and negative views of authorities. Though not formally recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, health care providers acknowledge behaviors resulting from traumatic situations akin to Stockholm syndrome.
The concept gained public attention during the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst, a newspaper heiress taken by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Hearst, coerced to join her captors, participated in criminal activities in their name. Despite later claiming brainwashing and abuse, she was convicted of bank robbery. President Jimmy Carter granted her clemency two years into her sentence, underscoring the complex emotions and behaviors associated with Stockholm syndrome.
In conclusion, the Stockholm bank robbery of 1973 and subsequent term “Stockholm syndrome” shed light on the complexities of human behavior in extreme situations. The bond between captors and captives, as seen in this case and others like Patty Hearst’s, challenges traditional notions of victim-perpetrator dynamics and highlights the profound impact of trauma. This historic event continues to intrigue experts and the public alike, serving as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of human responses to adversity.
