14. Psychopathic Captivity Part 1: Confessions of a Former Captive

This season opens with a few stumbling words introducing the psychology of captivity. In subsequent episodes we will continue to explore this topic which is rarely spoken of. Why do we not hear the voices of the escaped captives more frequently? …Because the majority of captives are never released by their psychopathic captors. Many captives die from bodily harm inflicted upon them by their captors. Many take their own lives to liberate themselves from a situation which seems to afford no exit. Others are left in a severely traumatized state and have no desire to remember the horrific period of captivity. Shame is another muting feature--there is a tremendous amount of shame associated with this topic, captivity, especially for professionals, yet, professional people are the main targets of the psychopath. The psychopath looks for people who will serve him. This utility-value in others is his only interest in assessing them for a relationship of any kind. Professionals serve the psychopathic captor with their money and status. Being with a professional, or so the psychopath reasons, helps him maintain the appearanceof normalcy. Please return for further notes dispelling the erroneous notions of the Stockholm Syndrome, the enabler, and the psychopathic sexual predator (ha!).

The hostage never becomes inured to captivity or pain, contrary to pop-culture psychology; s/he never learns to care deeply, compassionately, or sexually for the captor. Rather, she learns how to play the game that s/he feels will keep her alive. She placates the captor by pretending to speak with him as though they were in a normal relationship; as though she were not being held captive. She is aware of his delusional world and plays the part she feels may be to her best advantage in terms of avoiding more serious injury; more punishments; continued captivity; death.

The Psychopath has no capacity for sexual feelings. His interest is in power. He is only aroused by pain and suffering in others, hence he has a penchant for necrophilia. (more notes shortly...and tune into subsequent episodes)

The medical profession commodifies psychopaths and their captives. The titillation-value appears to be the greatest money-maker, hence, harmful psychological/psychiatric assumptions are made from cursory knowledge. For example, “scientific observations” from afar, utilize fragments of information shoddily gathered from random survivors of captivity to create terms such as the Stockholm syndrome (coined in the 1970s re: Patty Hearst). This term, although not accepted by the rare thoughtful psychologist/psychiatrist, is a widely held pop-psychological colloquialism suggesting that a hostage learns to feel deeply for his or her captor. The meaning also extends to sexual fantasies suggesting that the captive actually enjoys the bondage she is held in by a psychopath.

How sickening it is when lawyers and others have assaulted me with such facile musings. Some male listeners of this podcast have also asked to meet me, only to raise the question of my sexual appetite for pain, “Come on now, didn’t you enjoy it just a little???”. (see more notes www.monsterstoriespodcast.com)

This podcast is a production of Honestly Speaking LLC. Suzann Kole, Ph.D. has worked in academe and the mental health field for over 40 years. She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Narrative Studies (an area of linguistics).