On Monday, December 13, 2017, it became known that Doug Jones, a Democrat, had defeated Roy Moore, a Republican, in the traditionally Republican state of Alabama, for a seat in the US Senate. Mr. Moore seems to be, let’s charitably say, a colorful character. On election day he comes riding to the polling station on a horse much like John Wayne might have done. But he is no John Wayne. He must be devoutly religious because he arranged to have the 10 Commandments carved into a rock and have the rock placed on the front lawn of the statehouse. The media reported that it was Mr. Moore’s opinion that homosexuality should be against the law and that the age of slavery was the high point in the history of Alabama. To round off the picture, there were a number of allegations of sexual misconduct perpetrated against women and girls that he declared to be fabrications.
Mr. Moore was supported in his election campaign by our president against whom similar allegations have been made but are denied, of course. There were, from a psychological perspective, a number of interesting things that emerged from voter records. One was that 63% of white women voted for Mr. Moore in spite of all the allegations against him. Coincidentally, on the other hand, black women voted overwhelmingly for his opponent and helped him come to office, possibly as a result of Mr. Moore’s position on slavery, his religious leanings notwithstanding. One wonders about the 63 %. Did they also dismiss the allegations? Do they read the media? If Roy Moore were a dish served in the restaurant, would he pass the smell test?
When I saw that this high percentage of women had voted for Moore, I began to think why that might be so, given Moore’s alleged record with women. Many years of treating patients who suffer PTSD as a consequence of sexual abuse have demonstrated that the profound negative feelings directed against the self that follows the abuse prevents many victims from acknowledging that history. Despite what many people think, women would rather not discuss their sexual abuse histories out in the open, given associated feelings of shame, guilt, self-recrimination and embarrassment.
Another interesting facet that emerges from treatment is that abused women may often maintain an obstinate bond with their abusers. That has been a puzzle and a vexation to their therapists. This pathological and dysfunctional attachment with the abuses is well known to psychiatry and has a name: the Stockholm syndrome
“The rates of abuse in the US general population are very high. The true number of people suffering from Stockholm syndrome as a result of abuse is not known, but given the large number of sexual and physical abuse cases out there, it is likely to be quite common. In addition to the often cited examples of kidnapping and stranger assaults, many people live with abusive spouses or were raised by abusive parents. Despite this, they somehow learn to bond with the people who abuse them. Currently, it is believed that more than 30% of all Americans were abused as children”. (Quote from a website called Healthery. Check there for more information in their very good article).
This 30% incidence is, in my view, an extremely conservative percentage and true incidence is very likely much higher. With that statistic in mind, it is an established fact that many Americans have Stockholm Syndrome. It seems a reasonable speculation to wonder about the 63% of women voters. How many of these suffer from this syndrome that makes them disregard allegations against Roy Moore and makes these “no big deal”? Moreover, to an abused woman present and subsequent abuse all feel familiar and thus “normal”. It is possible that some of the women voters even had a positive regard towards Mr. Moore given that pathological bonding with the abuser (alleged or not) is part of the Stockholm syndrome.
For that reason there is not the emotional/ intellectual dissonance/repulsion with which a woman without an abuse history would respond to a transgressive incident. Abused women have learned to not trust, therefore dismissing their feelings. They would normally act as warning signals for women when they encounter further actual or potential abuse. That puts them at risk in ever repeating abuse cycles.
It would be an interesting research topic to look at the personal histories and psychological makeup of these women voters. The supposition that at least a percentage of them suffer from Stockholm syndrome may be another way to understand this otherwise hard to fathom voting behavior.