The dynamics of the hostage taker: some major variants

This paper represents a unique effort to elucidate the dynamics of two major types of politically motivated hostage takers. The data presented are derived from an ongoing research project that is gathering extensive interview and psychological test materials from prisoners convicted of politically motivated crimes, both within the U.S. and several foreign prison systems. Data indicate that: (1) the reluctant hostage taker, who inadvertently or regretfully possesses hostages, is concerned with the opinions, emotional state, and safety of his captives and is burdened by a sense of responsibility; (2) the deliberate hostage taker experiences his hostages as nonhuman objects whose safety and existence are predicated on the furtherance of his goals, is concerned with the issue of control, and projects responsibility for violence onto others. Only a small subset of each type can be considered grossly psychologically impaired and unable to separate intra- and extra-psychic reality. The actions of the majority of each group are mediated generally by ego functions and directed toward the service of external goals.