Hybristophilia is a paraphilia involving sexual interest in and attraction to those who commit crimes.
Hybristophilia, as defined by sexologist Dr. John Money (1986), was initially used to explain the paraphilia where an individual is “sexuoerotically turned on only by a partner who has a predatory history of outrages perpetrated on others”. Since this definition, which is found throughout the literature preceding it, there have been other interpretations that have created a large variance within the topic, although the primary commonality has been in the preponderance of this phenomenon amongst females in comparison to males. The differences in the existing definitions and the associated research, or anecdotal discussion, can suggest some uncertainty within the literature as to the definition, diagnostic criteria, circumstantial detail, or underlying motivation or drive for an individual either diagnosed with hybristophilia or associated with potential markers. This includes females who become involved in romantic relationships with incarcerated violent offenders and sexual partners involved in violent offenses as a couple.
Hybristophilia is technically described as a paraphilia of the predatory type in which a person can be sexually aroused, or even achieve orgasm in response to, or contingent upon, being with a partner who is known to have committed an outrage, like cheating or lying, or known infidelities of crime, such as rape, murder or armed robbery.
According to the MTV article, “hundreds of teens are role-playing Ted Bundy and other serial killers, as well as their victims.” They have thousands of followers, most of whom approve of the morbid depictions. Other females are mesmerized by hard core criminals (drug traffic, torturing and murdering others, terrorists etc.).
In popular culture, they are called “groupies”. Some of them were raised without a father or male figure, emotionally distant fathers, aggressive fathers, abused, neglected, so they look to the criminals to fill that need.
Most Females in societies where hard work and competence are devalued and replaced by antisocial personalities who achieve goals by employing aggression and ignoring the laws, don’t suffer from a hybristophilia.