The Lima Syndrome

The human mind remains a mystery even in the 21st century. In fact, there are conditions like Lima Syndrome that still leave us speechless. It is such a complex phenomenon that it amazes experts and laypeople alike. Even today it remains largely misunderstood.

Kidnappers who put themselves in the shoes of their victims? This is the Lima Syndrome. It occurs in people who are believed to have little respect for and interest in human lives who end up developing positive feelings and sympathy for their victims. We want to talk about that in this article.

The Lima Syndrome

When we thought that the human mind was unlikely to surprise us, the phenomenon known as Lima Syndrome was described. This syndrome is a complex psychological situation that can arise in the mind of an abductor. Over time, he builds an emotional bond with his victim.

Paradoxically, the kidnapper begins to empathize with the victim, to take care of their needs and well-being. Lima syndrome can manifest itself in behaviors such as the following:

• The kidnapper avoids harming the victim.
• He gives the victim certain freedoms or even lets them go free.
• He is concerned about his physical and emotional health.
• He starts conversations on very different topics.
• The kidnapper passes on personal information to the victim, such as childhood stories, goals, wishes.
• He can even make promises like “I’ll protect you”   or “Nothing will happen to you” .
• The kidnapper may be drawn to the victim.

Causes of Lima Syndrome

By now you are probably wondering about the causes of Lima Syndrome. Before we get into that, let’s be clear that having a particular syndrome doesn’t necessarily mean that you are crazy or sick. Beyond the internal state of the person, there are certain external conditions that can cause them to react in one way or another.

Therefore, in order to understand Lima Syndrome, we need to pay attention to the internal conditions of the kidnapper and the context of the kidnapping. Any separate explanation would be reductionist. It would therefore help to know the kidnapper’s psychobiographical requirements as well as the circumstances that motivated him to be kidnapped:

• Perhaps the kidnapper is part of a group that forced him to commit the kidnapping.

• The kidnapper may not agree with how the kidnapping is carried out.
• Perhaps, out of extreme need, the kidnapper was forced to detain the victim. These may include family drama, serious economic situation, and mental disorder.
• It may be that the kidnapper does not have a criminal career, is inexperienced or able to empathize with people and simply does not have an antisocial personality disorder.
• Eventually, the kidnapper may think he won’t make it out of the kidnapping alive.

The Lima Syndrome Paradox

The paradox of Lima Syndrome is that the kidnapper behaves as if he does not want to restrict the victim’s freedom. Surprisingly, the kidnapper creates an illusion in which it is he who cares and cares for his victim.

In doing so, the kidnapper does everything he can to improve the victim’s circumstances. In fact, he avoids inconvenience and harm as much as he can. Is the victim sick? Here is the medicine. Does it have a wound? He cleanses and connects them. Is it hungry? He brings him the food he wants. Suddenly a situation arises in the kidnapper’s head in which he becomes something like a caretaker for the victim.

The climax of this development is when the abductor begins to have loving feelings for the victim. Then he will try to woo and seduce it, make it love it, want it.

Where does Lima Syndrome come from?

We have now described what the Lima syndrome consists of, but one question remains unanswered: Where does the term “Lima syndrome” come from? Where does the term come from? As you might already know, from a kidnapping in Lima, Peru.

In 1996 a terrorist group occupied the Japanese embassy in the Peruvian capital. They have taken a number of hostages. However, over time, the kidnappers developed close ties with them and released them all – including those with whom they could have reached a very beneficial settlement.

Conclusions on Lima Syndrome

In summary, Lima syndrome is related to an intrinsic human condition, namely the creation and connection with others, even under conditions as special as those found in abduction. On the other hand , research into this phenomenon is too extensive as it is impossible to reproduce the circumstances of a kidnapping in a laboratory and under controlled conditions.

What we do know is that the occurrence or absence of this syndrome depends on several variables, both of the kidnapper and kidnapping and of the victim. After all, this syndrome does nothing but remind us that we are sheer contradiction and that we are far from working with reality. Instead, we do it by interpreting what we perceive and understand as reality.