Crisis generally occurs because an individual experiences "a significant loss or rejection, termination from employment, a decline in health status, financial reversal, or a loss of freedom" (Vecchi, Van Hasselt, & Romano, 2005, p. 537). Having more than one of these scenarios occur in a short time frame is often the "final straw" for an individual in crisis (Vecchi, Van Hasselt, & Romano, 2005, p. 537).
Political terrorists take hostages for four basic reasons according to Fuselier. First they want to show the public that the government is unable to protect its own citizens. Second they want instant media exposure and "fame." Third that the government will place restrictions on its citizens causing a strong sense of satisfaction among the people. Lastly the terrorists believe that if they take hostages often enough that the government will free members of their political groups (Fuselier, 1981).
In a criminal situation, the criminal could have been caught committing a crime and decides to take a hostage as a means to escape. Some of the demands made by the criminal are money and passage from their current location so long as they promise to set the hostage free.
Prisoners also take hostages, typically prison employees. Many of the prisoners do this as a way of protesting the hostile conditions in which they endure on a daily basis. (Fuselier, 1981)
Mental Health Disorders in Hostage Situations
(Fuselier, 1981)
Some of the disorders hostage negotiators face (and these are only the ones that are diagnosed.)
- Paranoid
- Depressed
- Antisocial
- Inadequate
- Schizophrenic
Mentally disturbed people who suffer from hallucinations may hear voices that tell them to take hostages or to kill someone.
