Stockholm Syndrome

A psychological involuntary state in which victims of abuse begin to feel sympathy, solidarity and emotional bonding for those who are abusing them.

Loyalty to an abuser is common among victims of domestic abuse, battered partners and child abuse. In many cases, the victims choose to remain loyal to their abuser, and choose not to leave them, even when they are offered a safe placement in a safe house. A variant of the syndrome includes cases of abusive siblings and abusive parents in which the victim, even after entering adulthood, still justifies the family abuse.