Stockholm Syndrome
Posted
January 14, 2007 at
12:38 pm by
Jessica
I just don’t understand “Stockholm Syndrome”.
As evident with the facts coming out about Shawn Hornbeck and how he had free access to the outside world, and yet didn’t try to contact his family, he was most likely suffering from it during his captivity.
Wikipedia describes one of the reasons behind Stockholm Syndrome as:
Loyalty to a more powerful abuser — in spite of the danger that this loyalty puts the victim in — is common among victims of domestic abuse, battered partners and child abuse (dependent children). In many instances the victims choose to remain loyal to their abuser, and choose not to leave him or her, even when they are offered a safe placement in foster homes or safe houses. This syndrome was described by psychoanalysts of the object relations theory school (see Fairbairn) as the phenomenon of psychological identification with the more powerful abuser.
From an outside perspective, it is so hard for me to wrap my mind around. Reports are now coming out that Shawn Hornbeck tried to call his captor Friday night and the assumption is that he was warning him about police poking around.
From The Guardian Unlimited:
At Imo’s Pizzeria, where Devlin was a manager, an employee who did not want to be identified told the newspaper that a boy called the restaurant Friday afternoon looking for Devlin, who was being questioned by the FBI at the time. The worker noticed on the caller ID that the call came from Devlin’s home. The boy told him, “I’m Shawn Wilcox. My father is a friend of Mike Devlin.”
Also, even though he didn’t go to school, eye-witnesses claim that he was friendly with a girl — seen several times holding her hand. He had friends, even best friends that came over to “his” place. It has also been reported that several of his friends came right out and asked him if he was Shawn Hornbeck and by the lack of emotion and response, they brushed it off when he said, “No.”
From the LA Times:
And, they recalled, he appeared to have as much freedom as a teenager could have.
He sported multiple piercings and carried a skateboard. Neighbors said he had a friend who regularly came over, tossed a football around with him and occasionally spent the night. A girl recently began to visit, and she and Shawn were seen holding hands.
He rode his bike around the neighborhood, perhaps even had access to a computer and posted messages on his parents website in the guestbook section.
From the cached version of the Shawn Hornbeck Guestbook on his parents’ website:
shawn - Thursday, December 1, 2005 - 2:56 PM devlin
—————————————-
hey sorry about that last thing i put on there,i write poems and i was wounding if it would be ok to write a poem for the hornbeck fam. and they son “shawn Hornbeck” it would be cool if i could but if you dont want me to i can understan why i guess but i was wounding if i could write a poem in his horner (sorry i dont know how to spell that last word)
shawn devlin - Thursday, December 1, 2005 - 1:59 AM kirkwood
————————————-
how long are you planing to look for your son?
Haunting, isn’t it?
So, although he thought about them and knew who he was (he identified himself correctly when police asked him), he never sought his family out when he had so many opportunities to do so.
I can understand if he felt threatened and he was scared, but wouldn’t rationale take over at some point? Wouldn’t you say to yourself, my captor is at work, I’m at my friends house, if I tell my friends parents about what happened, I can see my parents.
The lack of anger is also puzzling. I saw him in a news conference yesterday and while he seemed happy to be reunited with his family, he also seemed as if it wasn’t a big deal. There wasn’t a ton of emotion. I’m surprised he was even able to come on camera, even if he didn’t directly speak to the media. Wouldn’t you just be so freaked out? I couldn’t even imagine coming out of my room for weeks after that.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not judging him. It’s just so beyond nature or instinct as I know it. And I am afraid, should this boy need to testify, will he refuse? Does he not think this creep, Michael Devlin did anything wrong? What if Michael Devlin’s defense argues that Shawn Hornbeck was not being kept against his will, that he was being treated well and stayed with Devlin because he wanted to?
I hope and pray Shawn’s family put him in intense therapy. They seem like good people, I’m sure they will. He’s gonna need it - probably for the rest of his life, especially if he still has any loyalty to this predator.
Tags: Guestbook, michael-devlin, News-&-Politics, Shawn-Hornbeck, stockholm-syndrome |
85 Responses to “Stockholm Syndrome”
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61. Geek Squad said:
January 23, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
OK, #1, Jessica, tell me how I am “sticking up” for him? Like everyone else in here, I am stating my opinion. In your own words my “credibility and uninformed opinions are suspect”. Well, deary, ALL of our opinions are “uninformed”. If he did do this to them, do I think he should be hung upside down by his testicles and beaten like a piniata? Of couse I do. The bottom line is we dont know now, and we may never know the truth. Do you honestly think this guy can get a fair trial? I dont.
#2, you stated “And, even if you do believe these children were runaways, which is such an extrapolation of the facts, it IS illegal to harbor a runaway (not just a fugitive) without legal authorization.”… well, the last time I checked, a runaway didnt go to the proper authorities and fill out forms before running away, to get “legal authorization”. They wouldnt be a runway then, now would they. I know that is a play on words, but you get the idea. If you have a Missouri statute, or any state statute supporting this “law”, I am more than willing to read it. IF, and I STRESS (so no one jumps down my throat) IF it is a “runaway” situation, the only thing Devlin is guilty of is bad judgement. Hell, if bad judgement was a crime, well, i’m sure we ALL would be either paying fines or doing jailtime at one point or another in our lives, now wouldnt we.
You stated “kidnapping laws have changed in Mo recently”, well, it has yet to be proven that he DID “kidnap” anyone, right? He plead “not guilty”, remember? What ever happened to “innocent until PROVEN guilty”??
Oh, believe me, I have many “far fetched” theories, although nothing to do with spacemen. I’ve even thought “well, Devlin is a seasoned automobile driver, why was he driving erratically… maybe it was Shawn driving, after all he WAS teaching him how to drive”. There is also this question. I believe they stated Shawns bike was never found, correct? So what that means.. and try to keep up on this one.. when Shawn was “abducted”, Devlin OR Shawn went the extra step and put the bike in the back of the truck?? As I previously mentioned, I can’t see Devlin doing ANYTHING “quickly” or chasing anyone. See how many ways this can go?
As far as the cops not recognizing him, well, who knows why they didnt. I cant see a 11 yr old changing all that much. He certainly didnt grow a beard. Missing person posters, Amber alerts, newspaper articles, and I believe Shawn was on “americas most wanted”, but exactly “when” it aired, who knows. That pretty much blows the “40-50 miles away” excuse. If Shawn seen his own missing poster, so did the cops.
62. Jessica said:
January 24, 2007 @ 7:25 am
As for everyone’s “theory” and “views”, some are just more logical than others. It COULD be that Shawn was cloned and taken to a spaceship for probing for 4 years. Keeping in contact with Devlin through the xbox of course. Once the real Shawn was returned, they were preparing to take Ben but the police foiled everything and found them both. Just a theory.[/quote]
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!
63. nors said:
January 24, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
KMOV-TV reports today:
Police: Shawn Hornbeck forced to help in Ownby kidnapping
“Authorities close to the case tell News 4, that Shawn Hornbeck was forced to help kidnap Ben Ownby…….Law enforcement sources say that it was Shawn Hornbeck, a kidnapping victim himself, that grabbed Ben on the rural road to his home and then pushed him into the truck used to abduct him………Hornbeck was forced to push the boy to the floorboard……….Dr. Robin Park says that Devlin would have had to desensitize and brainwash the Shawn for months to get him to do something so clearly wrong…….Devlin may have struck a deal with Shawn to help get a new victim………Hornbeck’s family attorney says that Shawn will in no way be prosecuted for his involvement in the crime…….. Shawn is now in intensive therapy,”
In #43 I posited that Shawn could be complicit in Ben’s abduction. He was being replaced. But Devlin’s plans for Shawn are unknown. Shawn was geing gulled. There may be more victims in this case. Probing Devlin is going to be a descent into Hell.
64. Geek Squad said:
January 24, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
Yea, nors,I read that yesterday, on another blog on this site that Jessica posted. I honestly think we’re all pretty much in shock, and thats why no one has really been commenting. The scary thing is, I was typing my previous entry about Shawn driving the truck erratically when she posted it. Talk about something that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
In Jessicas other post, they mentioned duct tape, and the shoving him to the floorboard. This has me kind of puzzled in a way, but you know MY theories…Now, dont jump all over me, but me being me, I HAVE to pick this story apart too.
Being in the automobile profession, and from simple observation, I can tell you that the inside of an import pickup truck isnt the largest area compared to, lets say, a Chevy full size, right? In fact I would go on and say their downright uncomfortable. In fact, his truck is a standard cab model, so that makes it even more cramped (see actual picture of said truck in link below). So the story now goes, is he was duct taped in some way, and shoved to the floor. For 50 (give or take) miles, right?. Ok. Just so i’m clear on this. Now, i’m guessing that they would of had to stop somewhere to wait for nightfall (i’m guessing the bus dropped him off about 3-4pm) like most areas. Even then, with all his nosey neighbors, NO one seen him walking to the apartment? Did he even wait, or go right home? I’m sure he didnt leave the duct tape ON him for the walk, either, because that would be dumb. No, they most likely walked leisurely to the door.
So, somewhere between this happenening, and when they were found, it was “forgive and forget”? Like “hey, Shawn, I know you duct taped me and forced me to the floor of the truck, but it was a fun ride… glad we stopped at McDonalds on the way, I was kind of hungry. Hey, is that an XBOX?” . I can go on and on with this, but you all already think I have a few screws loose :/
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/galleries/561.html?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
65. nors said:
January 25, 2007 @ 3:39 am
ReGS. Some theories are more likely than others and none are certain. You stake out minority chances. At a track you probably have a soft spot for long shots. There may have been some prior contact between Shawn and Ben but that doesn’t justify a thing. Also, people can be subdued quickly. A shoplifter will run, scream and fight one minute and then meekly await the cops within ten seconds. Once a person’s will has been broken, even if it just for the short haul, their actions become compliant. Slapping a kid around at Ben’s age produces very quick results, especially if done by someone Devlin’s size. A cop can restore order to a neighborhood that is being harassed by a gaggle of troublesome teens by handling one or two roughly than by multiple arrests. Not by the book, but much of life isn’t.
66. Geek Squad said:
January 25, 2007 @ 6:46 am
LOL gaggle.. you almost.. ALMOST made me pee myself. Nicely put.
67. Jessica said:
January 25, 2007 @ 7:55 am
[/quote]
Yeah, but we won’t hold it against you!
So, what other theories do you have about this case?
68. Geek Squad said:
January 25, 2007 @ 9:43 am
Well, if anything, i’m keeping everyone entertained…
I can pick this whole situation apart, piece by piece from the beginning. Instead of looking through a paper towel tube at the “omg they found both kids at Devlins apartment” headline, I like to look around at any other “options”, and place aside what the past has proven, past cases, etc. So crack a beer, this may be a long one.
Jessica… you asked for it :/
It cant be argued that Devlin, Shawn, and Ben both like video games. Its been proven. Is Devlin just a loner who happens to be a gaming fanatic? Maybe. Did he browse certain groups while playing a particular game looking for kids? Maybe, but most ARE kids on there playing. Did they just happen to bump into each other while slaughtering dragons or whatever it is that you do on these games? Its not an impossible thought. Did they strike up a conversation while planning their next “stragedy”? Could of happened, and they started talking and it turned out they were local to one another. You see such conversations on a daily basis in ANY chat room, “man Missouri is so damn boring, anyone want to chat?”. Who knows, it could happen. Then they both joined another group of gamers, and met nightly like clockwork to conquer the demons.
Then perhaps things got “ugly” around the time of Shawns “real” fathers death, or the re-marriage of his mom, or a combination of the two, and Devlin was there to talk about it with him. Nothing wrong with that, right? Maybe something wasnt right, Shawn felt “left out”, there was this new guy “taking his mommy away”, or not being treated very well by this new guy (we’ve all heard of kids running away due to divorce, etc). Who knows what he told him to gain sympathy. So Devlin says “well, if you want to cool down here for a while, you’re more than welcomed to”. Yes, a very bad judgement call for him, but seemingly harmless. At this point, he is angry with his mom, so they carefully plan it out, and Shawn ends up there. But maybe the plan was only to scare the parents, but a few days go by, and Shawn realizes that he’s having a blast there. No school, he can sleep all day, play video games, etc. Weeks turn into months. He’s watching newscasts / Amber alerts on himself. Reading newspaper articles. Seeing posters of himself. Sitting there saying “thats what you get, suffer b*tch”. Months / years go by, and Shawn, fed up, writes the emails to his parents site, essentially checking to see if his mom has discarded him like a gum wrapper yet., and taunts them.
Then little Benny happens along their group of demon slaying geekoids. Similar interactions occur, and Shawn suggests “hey, you should come here, screw the parents”. Perhaps Ben was craving attention too? So they plan it again, and this time theres a witness. No one sees him actually getting in the truck, yet someone happens to see the truck driving erratically. Was this “witness” ON the bus? or did he get dropped off at the next / previous stop? How did this kid not see it happening, yet seen the truck driving away? Bad timing I guess.
Was it just plain karma that he happened to be one of the probably hundreds of registered owners of a white pickup with a cap within a 50 miles radius? Maybe. These are the same “alert” cops that remembered the vehicle description, yet faced Shawn 10 months after his dissapearance and were oblivious. Correct me if i’m wrong… but around here, as soon as you walk up to the window at a police station… dont you usually see the “wanted” and “missing” posters on some sort of billboard etc? So theres a chance Shawn was standing right next to his own picture? Maybe he was on the 2nd or 3rd page, who knows?
Ok, my fingers hurt, and I need to chase that damn gorilla out of my attic again.
“If woody would have gone right to the police, this would NEVER have happened!”
69. Geek Squad said:
January 25, 2007 @ 10:03 am
Oh, I forgot. Who is to say, that after the first few days, Devlin tried convincing him to go home to work things out, and Shawn refused, and threatened him with “if you send me back there, i’ll tell them you kidnapped me”? Just another thought that popped into my head while I was shaving. As far fetched as this all is, its not impossible.
70. Prescott said:
January 25, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
You should try shaving with Ockham’s Razor.
71. Geek Squad said:
January 25, 2007 @ 12:18 pm
Actually, I shave with a piece of a rusty 1974 Chevy Nova fender.
72. flows said:
January 29, 2007 @ 11:02 am
i go away on vacation and come back to barb and jessica seemingly having calmed down…a bit…but you cant win for losing.
here we have someone off topic and making thinly veiled personal attacks about shaving just because they dont agree with another persons speculations. which is really all they are, speculations. i havent see, even once, where geek squad said “this is beyond a shadow of a doubt precisely what happened.” its an opinion. an opinion is pretty much what keeps boards like this going. none of you really know if “the expressed opinions are or are not necessarily those of the author” or not. im sure all of you are educated enough to know of the term “devils advocate”.
comments in jest about loose screws and such are one thing, but i thought we were beyond wishing harm upon another person. i mean, come on, you people are how old? lets act like it, yes? one more thing: if this doesnt apply to you, dont get butthurt about it. because if the shoe fits…..
73. prescott said:
January 29, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
So a joke is now a “thinly veiled personal attack”? Since you apparently don’t know what it is, “Ockham’s Razor” is, in summary, the principle that the simplest theory is usually the correct one. I was suggesting that Geek Squad perhaps apply that principle to his/her complicated assumptions.
I find it humorous to have a teenager that can’t find the shift key telling me to grow up. “Butthurt”? Seriously?
74. flows said:
January 29, 2007 @ 11:16 pm
you call it a joke, i call it a thinly veiled personal attack. “tomaytoe, tomahtoe”. im really sorry that you cant get your point across without resulting to attacking the person directly instead of addressing the point. i fail to see how my being a teenager is at all relevant to anything i said. also, i addressed my refusal to use the shift key long ago. perhaps you should scroll up and read the blog in its entirety before flapping your mouth? as i said, those who will get upset about what i had to say are the guilty party/parties. again, if the shoe fits…..
75. prescott said:
January 29, 2007 @ 11:37 pm
So you’re invalidating my opinion that it wasn’t a personal attack? I thought we were all allowed our opinions, as “an opinion is pretty much what keeps boards like this going.” Wow, talk about hypocritical.
By the way, responding to your comment does not equal being “butthurt”. Your comments don’t make me even remotely upset, you shouldn’t flatter yourself. Why are you wasting time on a parenting site, anyway? Don’t you have homework to do? If it’s for your Remedial English class, you may want to rethink your stance on the shift key boycott.
76. Mrs. M. said:
January 30, 2007 @ 11:31 am
I should know better than to get in the middle of this, again, especially since the latest postings don’t have a thing to do with the topic that started this thread. However. It does seem to me — my opinion — that flows was extending a hand in peace and friendship on Jan. 29 (the same as Geek Squad did on the 25th.) There is no objective proof that flows doesn’t/didn’t know what Ockham’s Razor is, an idea. To use that idea as in “shave with Ockham’s Razor” could surely be construed as a slam. I mean, come on prescott - did you mean it as a sarcastic put-down or not? How about the comments about being a teenager and having homework to do and not using caps? It is my opinion that you come across as being less mature than flows regardless of your age. The whole ruckus between Squad/Flows and the rest of the board had to do with the way opinion is stated. One can be hostile or one can be respectful. It seems to me that you just want to argue and if you really are an adult, with a legit reason to be on a parenting site, taking potshots at adolescents doesn’t really flatter you.
77. prescott said:
January 30, 2007 @ 11:41 am
Well, Mrs. M., you’re certainly entitled to your opinions.
78. Mrs. M. said:
January 30, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
As are you, prescott. At the risk of sounding trite (but what the hell, I’m turning 55 soon) — have a good day.
79. Geoff said:
February 2, 2007 @ 7:55 am
I’m a retired clinical hypnotherapist, so i understand what Shawn is going through. The brain can throw itself into a hypnotic trance state, without any conscious attempt at hypnotising someone. Animals often ‘freeze’ when shocked or frightened. In severely shocked humans, the same response happens. The brain has been filmed in giant X-ray machines called MRI scanners to find out what happens in the hypnotic trance.
When hypnotised, a person can be made to become someone else. We use the technique if we have to operate on someone who needs surgery, but is allergic to anesthetic. We tell the person under light hypnosis that he is ‘Stan Smith’ say, and that Stan is a super hypnotic subject who goes very deeply asleep. We’re still not sure why it works, but it does. Quite major operations can be done, without ‘Stan’ feeling any pain.
Now if an 11 year old boy is kidnapped, terrorised, kept awake, abused, and mucked about with, he will go into psychic shock. His Anterior Cyngulate Gyrus in the brain will really mess with his mind. Under those conditions, the kidnap victim will accept another personality. He will obey orders. He will do what he is told - like a robot. This is especially so when the boy is pre-adolescent. As he grows older, his natural personality will assert itself.
To some extent, Shawn appears to be in a ‘fugue’ state. That’s why his personality seems to be repressed. He is still under the influence of Devlin, although he may not know it.
So please don’t blame the victim.
Shawn needs a lot of help and understanding, not criticism.
80. flows said:
February 3, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
oh boy. ill just make this short. sort of. you dont know what anyone else is going through regardless of your occupation. you simply have an idea. speculation. we really dont know for sure if shawn was…or was not….terrorized, kept awake, abused or “mucked about with” due to things continually surfacing and nothing being 100 percent fact except for the fact that he was technically kidnapped. he was 11 back then but he is not anymore nor is he stuck in some “time warp” that keeps him in the mental state of an 11 year old. thats simply absurd. furthermore, it cannot be said with 100 percent certainty that he WILL go into psychic shock. no one knows for sure what a person will or will not do beyond a shadow of a doubt. your education as a clinical hypnotherapist should tell you that. if not, surely common sense should. but hey, what do i know? maybe im wrong and maybe we know everything about the human mind and i just didnt get the memo.
81. Jena said:
February 9, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
i sincerely hope that a psychotic takes an interest on GEEK Squad and then kidnap him, keep him for 4 years like Shawn, or 7 years like Steven Stayner, or even 8 months or so like Elizabeth Smart. Let’s see if he feels the same way afterwards. Maybe he would be less of a jerk.
Maybe then he would understand why kids who are abused keep coming back to that house where a creep abuses them, or why they keep their mouths shut even when guardians molest them. Maybe Geek Squad should read the news and see that most victims adapt not only to survive but to hide shame. That as much as it is hard for girls to reveal the horrible things that they go through, it is even harder for boys to face a judgmental world who dare to draw conclusions from things that they know nothing of.
Shawn may have been (or not) abused, but the fact is he was abducted at age 11 at gun point. Surviving after all these years in the presence of your abductor is a rarity in abduction cases. Shawn stayed alive, and that is a credit to him. He could have easily resisted and run away and risk having his head blown of. Or he could have survive. And he did. Hurray for him and his family.
As for you GEEK Squad, you are a horrible human being. Shame on you.
82. Danny said:
February 9, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
Maybe Geek Squad has a hidden desire of abducting kids as it seems to me that he is so friggin excited about blaming Shawn. It’s like he wants to pass this hypothesis of his that a kidnapper can actually make a victim stay with a promise of limitless hours of bike ride and skipping school. Whats up Geek Squad? Are you taking the cudgels for the abductors/criminals?
Seriously dude, you’re crazy.
83. flows said:
February 9, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
you would wish a person to be abducted because they dont agree with you? or a person doesnt agree with you so they must have a “hidden desire” for abducting kids? why would you make up things like that about a person or, worse, wish harm upon a person just because they dont see things from your point of view? you two are so quick to point fingers. what you should be doing is taking a good look at yourselves.
84. Geek Squad said:
February 9, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
Yes, maybe I should read the news, and get sucked into the media frenzy, and draw conclusions… wait you’re doing that for me and everyone else with your babbling. You have the audacity to call ME a jerk? Why am I a jerk? for thinking outside the box?
You stated “Shawn may have been (or not) abused, but the fact is he was abducted at gun point”…
Ok, show me the FACT he was abducted at gunpoint? Was there a trial that only YOU were at? Wow, another know-it-all. I see you’re another one that likes to see your words on a screen, yet refuses to make any type of point besides not liking my OPINION. Well, boohoo for me, you object to my thinking, and call me “horrible”.. let me go lose sleep over it.
Its a “rarity” because he WANTED to be there perhaps? Yes he stayed alive, thanks for pointing out the obvious. Cant you tell how malnurished and isolated he was??
I was under the impression this was a forum to express OPINIONS, not to be personally judged for doing so. Grow up, Danny and Jena (if you two are in fact different people).
In regards to “Danny”… It would seem to me that you are the one getting “excited” over it. I am not trying to “pass” anything, so stop putting words in my mouth. Again, I am stating my opinion / theories, and I couldnt care less of what you or anyone else thinks of my opinions. That is what this site is for, to state opinions. So get over yourself.
Kind of funny how “danny” and “jena” happen to comment one after another, yet have never typed in here before. If you “two” have never commented in here, how is it that you just happened to recieve the emails about new posts? And they both just happen to feel like bashing me for my opinion.. Hmm… Maybe i’ll make up a few new names and post comments to support my “crazy” theories. Let me go cry now..
85. Jessica Carlson said:
February 9, 2007 @ 1:56 pm
Haven’t any of you been watching the news??? It’s over. Devlin has been charged 71 accounts of forced sodomy against Shawn and Ben (17 were against Ben in 4 days). Keep in mind, most accounts are not taken to court, so there was probably many other.
What else is there to debate? The speculation is over. The prosecution also claims that the crimes have been admitted to by Devlin himself. Geek is wrong, period. (Sorry Geek, but you’ll have to just step up to the plate and admit that you were wrong.)