Hybristophilia: The Attraction To Dangerous People
For many centuries now, we tend to think that human beings are characterized by being a rational animal. However, in practice there are many aspects of our behavior that reveal that this is not the case. Hybristophilia, which is a tendency to be attracted to dangerous people or prone to harm others, is one of them.
And when it comes to sharing a relationship based on intimacy and trust with someone, it seems very clear that the more dangerous the chosen partner is, the greater the chances of things going wrong. In many cases, in fact, there may be cases of psychological and physical abuse.
So, what explains the existence of hybristophilia? In what way is it given? Let’s see it.
Hybristophilia, a term coined by psychologist John Money, is the tendency to be attracted to individuals who have been shown to be prone to harming others. As an example, delinquents, murderers and criminals in general can be considered a romantic or sexual target precisely because of their condition, for being outside the law
Thus, hybristophilia can be considered a type of paraphilia, since its existence can endanger the physical and mental integrity of people. In fact, the propensity to commit acts of domestic violence is significantly higher for delinquents and criminals, which means that the risk is high.
According to John Money, this phenomenon can occur in practically any personality profile, but in practice it occurs more frequently in heterosexual women. This corresponds to many of the most high-profile cases of hybristophilia, which have to do with murderers and highly dangerous criminals who, despite not being able to conceal their guilt in cases in which there were fatalities, They had several admirers interested in them in a romantic sense
We find some examples of hybristophilia in the authentic “fan” phenomena that appeared during the judicial prosecution or imprisonment of murderers and criminals.
1.Charles Manson
Charles Manson, known for being involved in several murders and organizing a cult, He had several lovers despite his actions and his outlandish personality
2. Ted Bundy
Another similar case was that of Ted Bundy, a serial killer responsible for the deaths of dozens of people who He even married an admirer after being convicted and received many love letters in prison. Sent by different women.
3. Josef Fritzl
The one known as the Amstetten Monster He has been receiving love letters during his imprisonment despite being convicted of imprisoning his daughter for 24 years, marrying her and having several sons and daughters with her.
What are your causes? Why does it occur more in women?
There is no definitive explanation that allows us to understand why hybristophilia exists. Although from an evolutionary perspective it can be considered that there are people with genes that lead them to look for a strong, powerful and with the ability to subdue others by force, this explanation leaves too many loose ends. It has also been proposed that violent people tend to present a combination of three personality traits that is considered attractive: the Dark Triad.
On the contrary, it is possible to understand hybristophilia just as the behaviorist perspective understands paraphilias in general. The fact of having gone through the learning of certain contingencies (association between stimuli and actions) can make some people get used to conceiving dangerousness as a desirable personal trait. For example, due to the absence of a strong and authority figure during youth, something that is perceived as a lost opportunity to organize one’s life well.
However, when it comes to explaining why hybristophilia occurs more in women, cannot be ignored in the concept of patriarchy, a system of authority and power at the top of which men are always. It is hypothesized that because of patriarchy, masculine characteristics are seen as something extremely desirable, and violence and the subjugation of others consistently express this type of values.
Thus, hybristophilia can be one of the consequences of what happens when the logic of patriarchy is learned “too well” and is taken to its ultimate consequences: if the woman must be submissive and accept the authority of the man with whom she forms a couple, it is better that this one has the ability to eliminate possible enemies, or nullify them.
Is there a treatment?
There is no specific treatment for hybristophilia, among other things because today It does not appear in diagnostic manuals as a mental disorder
Furthermore, it is not a paraphilia that is based on a very specific erotic element, such as heels or gloves. What produces attraction is something more abstract, and therefore difficult to control in a clinical context.
