Walt Disney and his eponymous company have been juggernauts in the entertainment industry for over half a century, and as such have solidified their place in American culture. In fact, Disney’s characters have become just as iconic as the founding fathers themselves. Americans often like to idolize iconic figures and Disney characters are certainly no exception. However, just like the people who originally drew them, characters are not perfect. In fact, in one of Walt Disney’s most iconic films, Beauty and the Beast, one of the characters suffers from a psychological disorder that baffles even the most trained psychologists, Stockholm Syndrome. Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which victims of captivity or hostage situations
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Many show outward compassion and even sympathy towards their captors. Many will even act in defense of their captors when their captors are threatened (Fuselier, 177). In some extreme cases, victims can even fall in love with their captors, as evident by one of the hostages from the original bank robbery marrying one of Olsson’s accomplices (Adorjan, 457). One of the stranger facts about Stockholm Syndrome is that it does not simply end with the release of the captives. Contrary to popular belief, many victims will continue to sympathize with their captors long after their release. In fact, in a case study done on groups of hostages, five out of five groups had individuals who expressed no negative feelings and even fondness towards their captors (de Fabrique, 96). Stockholm Syndrome is a mysterious disorder, but one that seems increasingly prevalent in hostage situations. And now that an accurate depiction of Stockholm Syndrome has been made, an accurate diagnosis can be drawn for Beauty and the Beast’s Belle. Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 animated film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. The film follows Belle, a young woman who is taken captive by The Beast, a cursed prince living in a nearby castle. By the film’s end Belle has fallen in love with Beast and even saves his life, breaking the curse that is over him allowing them to live happily ever after (Beauty and the Beast). However, a closer examinations of Belle’s actions suggest that she may have been a victim of Stockholm Syndrome all
Many show outward compassion and even sympathy towards their captors. Many will even act in defense of their captors when their captors are threatened (Fuselier, 177). In some extreme cases, victims can even fall in love with their captors, as evident by one of the hostages from the original bank robbery marrying one of Olsson’s accomplices (Adorjan, 457). One of the stranger facts about Stockholm Syndrome is that it does not simply end with the release of the captives. Contrary to popular belief, many victims will continue to sympathize with their captors long after their release. In fact, in a case study done on groups of hostages, five out of five groups had individuals who expressed no negative feelings and even fondness towards their captors (de Fabrique, 96). Stockholm Syndrome is a mysterious disorder, but one that seems increasingly prevalent in hostage situations. And now that an accurate depiction of Stockholm Syndrome has been made, an accurate diagnosis can be drawn for Beauty and the Beast’s Belle. Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 animated film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. The film follows Belle, a young woman who is taken captive by The Beast, a cursed prince living in a nearby castle. By the film’s end Belle has fallen in love with Beast and even saves his life, breaking the curse that is over him allowing them to live happily ever after (Beauty and the Beast). However, a closer examinations of Belle’s actions suggest that she may have been a victim of Stockholm Syndrome all