The Darker Side : Stockholm Syndrome

[kahuna-burger.livejournal.com]

This month's Darker Side topic is Stockholm Syndrome : a phenomenon where people held against their will for an extended period of time can develop empathy, affection and even loyalty for their captors. Hrm, sound familiar? It's rarely addressed directly within the story, but the result, if not the psychological description, underlies a lot of dubiously- and non-consensual tropes like capturefic and slavefic.

One way Stockholm Syndrome is sometimes referenced in fic is when "well intentioned former friends" disrupt the new life a couple is building and try to convince one part of the couple that their feelings are not real and they really, really do need to be rescued. In darker stories, the victim's thoughts, and a continuation of abuse make it clear that their feelings are not psychologically healthy, but the relationship continues. And of course, sometimes it looks an awful lot like Stockholm Syndrome from a detached perspective, but is presented as a fully consensual romance arising after the couple, though enemies, were thrown together by fate. And hey, maybe it was!

So give us thoughts, give us bunnies, give us fic recs! How does Stockholm play in when you're in the mood for dark?