Comparing domestic violence, traumatic bonding, stockholm syndrome - Research Paper Example

Domestic Violence, Traumatic Bonding, Stockholm syndrome Comparison Stockholm syndrome is a term used by psychologists to describe the irony in the way the captor relates to the hostage. In the relationship, those held hostage show compassion, understanding towards their captors as well as behaving positively and playing defensive mechanisms towards them (de Fabrique, 2007). This behavior often takes place whenever a captor is treated well by its hostage, and there is no abuse that is experienced in their relationship.

Traumatic bonding can be described as Stockholm syndrome, but in this case violence is experienced, meaning traumatic bonding is the relationship that develops between two individuals in which one person is intimidated, abused, harassed or beaten by the other person in this case the one in hostage is mistreated by his/her captor. On the other hand, domestic violence can be described as the relationship between intimate individuals living together and one person abuses another by beatings among other vices.

Stockholm syndrome is related to domestic violence the difference is that in domestic violence, the abuse takes place between intimate people unlike in traumatic or Stockholm Syndrome where the abuse takes place on a total stranger who, develops positive feeling towards the abuser (Cantor and John, 2007). In other words, the behaviors that are seen in Stockholm syndrome or traumatic bonding are the same behaviors noticed in domestic violence. For example, in Stockholm syndrome or traumatic bonding, the abuser receives positive support from the victim.

In this case, the one held hostage supports the reasoning and behavior of the captor instead of reporting the captor to authorities. The victims also develops negative attitude and become enemies with any family member who may want to report the incident to the authority. The same behaviors are also noticed in domestic violence, no matter how one person in that intimate relationship is abused, he or she has to remain in the relationship coping, tolerating and supporting the abusive actions from their partners instead of seeking justice by reporting the actions.

Many questions arise in people’s mind as to why those abused cannot report their abusers and seek freedom and justice. For example, there are cases of kidnappings that are known in society but those kidnapped are not willing to report the kidnappers to the authorities. The same is noticed in domestic violence why the victims do not report the abusers or just leave to be happy. Psychologists only understand the answers because it is only them who may understand this irony, and the victims of domestic violence and traumatic bonding are mostly women (Duguid, 2007).

The reason as to why they may decide to cope with their abusers’ behavior is that in most cases, women love with their hearts, and whenever they are abused with someone they have an emotional attraction to, they tend to persevere the pain as one way of showing their attraction or love to their abusers (Koss, 1995) In both domestic violence and Stockholm syndrome or traumatic bonding the physical abuse not any hazardous but also equal to the psychological abuses because not only the victims are not held in hostage but also physically abused (O'Leary and Maiuro, 2004).

This means that a strong ironical bond exists between the victims and their abusers that make them be reluctant to report out the matter in order to be helped but instead they decide to continue living with them, enduring and coping with continuous abuse. In domestic violence, children who are sexually abused by their parents at times become reluctant to report the matter to the authorities. This is because of the strong attachment, care and love they have for their parents whereby they fear losing them.

The abused children also sympathize on how their parents might be treated once the community knows the matter. There are many reasons as to why victims bonds with their abusers and one of them is to prevent the abuser from acting in a particular manner. If the victim is threatened by the abuser of being killed or a particular person will be killed instead; the victim will suffer silently to prevent that action from taking place. An example of this is if the victim has witnessed something that may make an abuser be punished, and the victim is threatened never to leak out such information to anyone.

Second, when an abuser becomes kind to the victim, if kidnapped, the captor will provide food and other basic needs to the victim. In domestic violence, this happens whereby the abuser buys the victim gifts or treats the victim well, and through this the victim start thinking positively of the abuser, as being a nice person not remembering the bad things previously done. Lastly, the victim is isolated from the family members or forced to cut links or relationship with people who may be of influence to him or he.

This makes the victim become obsessed to the abuser’s needs by abiding to his requirement in order to avoid any confrontations (Ford, n.d.). References Cantor, C. & John, P. (2007). "Traumatic Entrapment, Appeasement And Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Evolutionary Perspectives Of Hostage Reactions, Domestic Abuse And The Stockholm Syndrome." Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Psychiatry 41.5: 377-384. de Fabrique, N., et al. (2007)."Understanding Stockholm Syndrome." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 76.7: 10-5. Duguid, S. (2007). Impartial arts. FT.Com, 1.

Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/229070028?accountid=1331 Ford, A. (n.d.). “Divine Caroline: Can Stockholm Syndrome Explain Domestic Violence?” Retrieved from < http://www.divinecaroline.com/22188/83308-stockholm-syndrome-explain-domestic-violence > Koss, M. P. (1995). "Book Reviews -- Dating Violence: Young Women in Danger Edited by Barrie Levy." Women & Therapy 16.4: 113-. O'Leary D. & Maiuro, R. (2004). “Psychological Abuse in Violent Domestic Relations” ed. New York: Springer Publishing Company.