**Stockholm Syndrome Icon Clark Oloffson Passes Away at 78**

**Oloffson's notorious 1973 bank robbery in Sweden sparked discussions on "Stockholm syndrome," where hostages show affection for captors.**

Clark Oloffson, the notorious criminal who became a symbol of the psychological theory known as "Stockholm syndrome," passed away at the age of 78, as confirmed by his family to the media outlet Dagens ETC. Oloffson gained international notoriety in 1973 following a shocking bank robbery and kidnapping in Stockholm, where hostages developed a bond with their captors over a six-day standoff, leading to the coining of the term "Stockholm syndrome" to describe such phenomena.

The dramatic events unfolded when Jan-Erik Olsson initiated the armed siege, taking four hostages and demanding Oloffson, whom he had befriended during a prior incarceration, be brought from prison to the bank. With law enforcement surrounding the building, Oloffson entered and soon began to sway the emotions of the hostages. One of the captured women, Kristin Enmark, even defended the actions of her captors, claiming that they had treated her well and expressed her desire to leave with them.

In a later memoir, Enmark reflected on her experiences, describing her fear and the bond she felt with Oloffson, who had assured her of her safety. Despite the tense situation, she believed in his promise and spoke on behalf of the robbers during phone calls to the authorities. The hostage crisis ultimately ended with a police intervention that involved using tear gas against the captors.

The aftermath of this incident sparked extensive debates within psychological and criminological circles regarding the legitimacy of "Stockholm syndrome" as an actual psychological disorder or a mere coping mechanism. This term was introduced by Swedish criminologist Nils Bejerot, further popularized by later cases, including that of Patty Hearst in the 1970s.

Oloffson's life was marked by recurrent legal troubles and frequent incarceration; he last left prison in 2018 after serving a drug-related sentence in Belgium. His story inspired the Netflix drama "Clark," featuring actor Bill Skarsgård as Oloffson himself. Discussions continue around the implications of his actions and the condition named after the incident, with former hostage Enmark often criticizing the term, suggesting it unfairly shifts blame onto victims.