Abstract
Introduction. Hostage-taking is one of the most stressful extreme situations, with a long-lasting impact on the mental state of victims. Based on F.E. Vasilyuk’s concept of experiencing, this paper explores the psychological phenomena of hostage experiences of terrorist attacks. This study represents the first contribution to the inductive reconstruction of the structure of hostage experiences as a complex subjective process that occurs during the hostage-taking incident.
Methods. Using a grounded theory approach, we examined secondary qualitative sources — narratives (printed and video interviews, memoirs, and online diary entries) of survivors of the Beslan and Dubrovka hostage-taking tragedies. The study used a total of 23 documents. All interviewees and witnesses were 18 years of age or older at the time of hostage-taking. The analytical procedure included open and axial coding and the constant comparative method. To enhance reliability, double coding was used, and some materials were independently analyzed by an external expert in the psychology of extreme situations.
Results. The main categories that reflect the subjective experience of hostages during the hostage-taking incident were identified. The characteristics and structural elements of the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components of experience, including in the context of Stockholm Syndrome, as well as the dynamic characteristics and transitions between the identified phenomena and the structural components (from shock to hope, from numbness to mobilization) were described.
Discussion. The results obtained deepen our understanding of individual psychological functioning in extreme situations and serve as the basis for further reconstruction of the dynamic aspects of hostage-taking as a specific internal activity in terrorist attacks.
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