Stockholm Syndrom And Child Sexual Abuse
Children are still learning and developing as they grow. Their brains are still soaking up the world around them. Not only are they picking up new things daily but they are also learning about themselves, like their likes and dislikes. Children are very impressionable. They imitate what they are around daily, and if this happens to be a negative environment, they do not know any different.
In reading the research conducted by Shirley Julich in Stockholm Syndrom and Child Sexual Abuse, Julich identified four conditions that existed between the victim and offender in order for Stockholm Syndrome to occur. Julich stated when all four conditions have been met, “bonding between the offender and a victim occurred…” (Julich, 2005). The four factors
are, “…(a) perceived threat to survival, and the belief that one’s captor is willing to carry out that threat; (b) the captive’s perception of some small kindness from the captor within a context of terror; (c) isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor; and (d) perceived inability to escape (Julich, 2005).
Julich stated in when a child suffers from sexual abuse, most likely it is from a relationship where an emotional bond has already been made (Julich, 2005). When the offender crosses the line with the child, the child is then sustaining the relationship because that is what they need in order to survive (Julich, 2005). Children are dependent on the adults in their lives. Children look to their loved ones for care and protection, and the offenders that prey on their victims are usually in this role in the child’s life (Julich, 2005). Again children are still developing and responding to their environment. The important adults in their lives have been the models for how they view the world, and if that adult is likely the offender, the child will follow suit (Julich, 2005). Julich stated the longer the children were subjected to the four factors with the offender, the more the children viewed their self-worth through the offender perspective (Julich, 2005).
In reading the research conducted by Shirley Julich in Stockholm Syndrom and Child Sexual Abuse, Julich identified four conditions that existed between the victim and offender in order for Stockholm Syndrome to occur. Julich stated when all four conditions have been met, “bonding between the offender and a victim occurred…” (Julich, 2005). The four factors
are, “…(a) perceived threat to survival, and the belief that one’s captor is willing to carry out that threat; (b) the captive’s perception of some small kindness from the captor within a context of terror; (c) isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor; and (d) perceived inability to escape (Julich, 2005).
Julich stated in when a child suffers from sexual abuse, most likely it is from a relationship where an emotional bond has already been made (Julich, 2005). When the offender crosses the line with the child, the child is then sustaining the relationship because that is what they need in order to survive (Julich, 2005). Children are dependent on the adults in their lives. Children look to their loved ones for care and protection, and the offenders that prey on their victims are usually in this role in the child’s life (Julich, 2005). Again children are still developing and responding to their environment. The important adults in their lives have been the models for how they view the world, and if that adult is likely the offender, the child will follow suit (Julich, 2005). Julich stated the longer the children were subjected to the four factors with the offender, the more the children viewed their self-worth through the offender perspective (Julich, 2005).