Child Abduction In Jaycee Dugard's A Stolen Life

Many things that happen in this world are scary and totally out of our control. Child abduction is a horrifying and life changing event that has terrified many children, parents and love ones. Child abduction is every parent's worst nightmare. It could happen in the grocery store, yard or even your child's school. The horrifying truth is that child abduction could happen almost anywhere in the world. However, the most crucial part about their whole experience can be once they’re rescued and brought back to their loved ones. Many survivors tend to feel unsafe and in most cases, and just can’t be the same person.

Adapting to life after being held hostage or kidnapped can be just as difficult as abruptly leaving it. According to the American

“Hostage survivors often develop an unconscious bond to their captors and experience grief if their captors are harmed”(NP). In some studies, they may also feel guilty for developing a bond. This type of behavior may typically be referred to as the Stockholm Syndrome. In Jaycee Dugard’s memoir, A Stolen Life, she doesn't mention and experience this syndrome in a downlow way. She doesn't confront it as well, but she does mention that she felt bad after he was arrested as well as her other abductor. When they went to the police station, her abductor told the police that she and the kids were his brother’s kids. When Dugard heard, she had the opportunity to rat him out and tell the police the truth, but instead she asked to speak to her uncle instead (A Stolen Life 208). She admits that they were kind of like a family to her and that is what horrifies her. Even though they did all this harm to her and basically took away eighteen years of her life, she was still thankful that they helped raise her two kids that her male abductor impregnated her with. Dugard also showed evidence of what the American Psychological Association mentioned about the emotion stress reaction. “I don't think I slept more than a few minutes that night. I had a terrible sinus headache from crying for several hours. Questions like: What if my mom doesn't accept the girls? What if my mom hates

My desire and willingness to do anything to bring my kids home never faltered. However, my hopes of fulfilling that dream developed into a nightmare of despair. I became withdrawn and depressed as time went on – years passing without any knowledge or likelihood of finding my children. I stopped socializing with friends, while attending family functions became difficult and church no longer was a place of solace for me. I listened to my friends and family talk about their children, but I wasn’t able to add anything to the conversation since my sources of inspiration were no longer part of my life” (Slinkard