Do you ever feel like you're working for a company that ultimately does not have your best interests at heart, yet you feel strangely devoted to the cause?
Stockholm syndrome refers to the phenomenon where hostages develop a sense of empathy and adulation towards their captors despite being held in unfavourable or even appalling conditions. They become ignorant to the distinct danger and lack of control the situation breeds, and instead perceive that the perpetrators as giving them their life by simply not taking it.
I've witnessed this environment - the helpless feeling of imprisonment whilst I complied with the requirements of a job I didn't want, for the boss I didn't need in exchange for the money that wasn't worth it. These were not fun times! I've even seen employees applying peer pressure to colleagues who aren't working unpaid overtime to justify their privileged' roles within the company.
This situation can often stem from a perceived inability to escape, for fear of losing a career or the possibility of being humiliated. Instead, we choose to align with our perpetrators rather than face up to the (often immaterial) consequences of removing ourselves from the situation completely.
Our mindset also becomes distorted by the constant exposure to our captor's way of thinking. We become trapped by dogma and start to lose a clear vision of what path we wanted to take when we first took the job. Perspectives of what life may be like for self-employed freedom fighters are often either avoided or looked down upon as inferior by employers who wish to maintain the status quo.
We often identify immaterial acts of kindness, such as an early lunch break or a negligible pay rise, as signs that out employers hold some kind of higher purpose for us in the future - therefore prolonging the period under which we are willing to accept our predicament. All of this builds a seemingly impassable barrier where we remain hopelessly and unnecessarily dependent on our captors'.
I hope this motivates those that are currently stuck in undesirable working environments.
Many hostages suffering from Stockholm Syndrome' will inexplicably chose to remain with their captors when given a clear opportunity to escape their unfortunate situation.
Don't be afraid to take your opportunity.
See below for details of how you can avoid being another victim of this situation...