Breaking news:Romanticizing Luigi Mangione? This fascination with a murder suspect could point to a psychological condition

Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old arrested in connection to the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is receiving quite the limelight. From his perp walk to fashion choices everything about Luigi Mangione has become the talk of the town. The suspect, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges, has emerged as an internet sensation. However, people aren’t discussing the alleged criminal act, but his looks and sartorial choices. That is why you have to know about Hybristophilia, which is a type of paraphilia that involves sexual attraction to perpetrators of crime.

Sexologist Dr. John Money (1986) defined Hybristophilia as a paraphilia where an individual is “sexuoerotically turned on only by a partner who has a predatory history of outrages perpetrated on others.” This phenomenon is also known as Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome, after the infamous duo who along with their gang, executed countless robberies and murdered many during the Great Depression.
Interestingly, women are more prone to this paraphilia than men. The word Hybristophilia, derived from the Greek hybridzein, which means to perpetuate an outrage against another, has been defined as the phenomenon of an individual is sexually aroused by a criminal offender.

David Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University (BCU) in a statement says, “Hybristophilliac relationships are not just the from the point of view of a woman forming a relationship with a dangerous man, but there are equally men who will have Hybristophilliac relationships with women. There are also same-sex Hybristophilliac relationships. It is also important to differentiate between aggressive Hybristophillia and passive Hybristophillia.”

Aggressive Hybristophillia is when someone is not only sexually attracted to a violent individual’s actions but also desires to actively collaborate with them in carrying out their acts of violence. Passive, on the other hand, is where a person just forms an idealized or romantic attachment to a murderer or serial killer.

Though very little is known about this paraphilia, some psychologists believe hybristophiliacs are submissive victims and are drawn to dominant partners. We have seen many instances of women being attracted to men behind bars due to their fame and popularity in the media. Some do this for the thrill and attraction. For some others, this could be a desire to rescue or change. Some individuals believe they can reform a person as cruel and powerful as a serial killer. Psychological factors such as childhood trauma, maladaptive personality traits, or societal factors too can influence.