A closer look
Hostages sometimes develop psychological bonds with their captors as a survival strategy, which popular culture has romanticized as Stockholm syndrome despite it being a deeply traumatic trauma bond; when faced with absolute powerlessness and the constant threat of death, the human brain copes by interpreting basic survival provisions, like being given a glass of water, as acts of profound kindness; this desperate neurological pivot forces the victim to empathize with their abuser just to avoid going insane from the terror of the situation; sadly, this same dynamic explains a frightening amount of modern toxic relationships and corporate loyalties, where people will defend horrible bosses and terrible partners simply because they occasionally refrain from being absolute monsters for a day or two
