9 votes

Clark Olofsson, one of the two charismatic Swedish criminals involved in the kidnapping that gave the world the term "Stockholm syndrome", has died aged 78

Posted by mycketforvirrad
Tags: sweden.stockholm, crime, robbery, banks, history, 1970s, norrmalmstorg robbery, psychiatry, criminology, stockholm syndrome, clark olofsson, obituaries, author.tom mcarthur, source.bbc
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3ly0e0wvpo

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Title
Clark Oloffson: Criminal who helped inspire Stockholm Syndrome term dies aged 78
Published
Jun 26 2025
Word count
527 words

3 comments

  1. [2]
    smoontjes
    Link
    I have an (ir?)rational annoyance about Stockholm syndrome. It's just annoying that it's always portrayed as a proven, real, actual thing. The claim from this article that "hostages began to...

    I have an (ir?)rational annoyance about Stockholm syndrome. It's just annoying that it's always portrayed as a proven, real, actual thing.

    The claim from this article that "hostages began to sympathise with him and his accomplice, defending their actions while growing more hostile to the police outside" directly contradicts what one of the actual hostages said in another article (from the BBC as well, somehow): "It's bullshit, if you can say that on the BBC. It's a way of blaming the victim. I did what I could to survive."

    Also this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome#Criticism

    9 votes
    1. ahatlikethat
      Link Parent
      Agreed. I read an article somewhere a while back that touched on this bit in the Wikipedia article: The hostages were clearly behaving rationally to save their own lives, having been discarded by...

      Agreed. I read an article somewhere a while back that touched on this bit in the Wikipedia article:

      In particular, Hill's analysis revealed that Stockholm authorities – under direct guidance from Bejerot – responded to the robbery in a way that put the hostages at greater risk from the police than from their captors (hostage Kristin Enmark, who during the siege was granted a telephone call with Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, reported that Palme told her that the government would not negotiate with criminals, and that "you will have to content yourself that you will have died at your post"); as well, she observed that not only was Bejerot's diagnosis of Enmark made without ever having spoken to her, it was in direct response to her public criticism of his actions during the siege.

      The hostages were clearly behaving rationally to save their own lives, having been discarded by the government.

      13 votes
  2. smoontjes
    Link
    Hopefully it brings peace to his victims that he is gone.

    Hopefully it brings peace to his victims that he is gone.

    4 votes