Hybristophilia: The people attracted to criminals and what it means
Hybristophilia occurs when a person is sexually aroused or attracted to those who have committed something societally frowned upon, such as cheating or lying, or committing a crime, such as rape, murder, or armed robbery.
Those who have hybristophilia are typically drawn to those who represent the ideal of the ‘bad boy’ or ‘bad girl’.
These individuals may have a criminal past, be aggressive, or have performed activities deemed morally repulsive by society.
Renowned South African forensic or investigative psychologist and author, Dr Micki Pistorius said the embodiment of this condition is the strange relationship between convicted serial rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana.
“This con-artist and convicted rapist and murderer got his girlfriend, a successful medical doctor, Nandipha Magudumana, to smuggle a dead body into a secure private prison to replace him in his burning prison cell, as he escaped,” said Pistorius.
She said that the pair did not go into hiding, but rather resided in one of Johannesburg’s most opulent high-society suburbs, where they occupied a home near the doctor’s renowned clinic that offered non-surgical treatments.
Pistorius asked: “What could motivate a woman to do this?”
According to some psychologists, this attraction might be linked to things like risk-taking, thrill-seeking, the desire for powerful emotions, or the impulse to defy established social standards.
Another possibility suggests hybristophilia might be caused by traumatic childhood events or issues with self-esteem and self-image.
People who feel this attraction may be drawn to dangerous people in order to confirm their own value or find a sense of belonging in prohibited or conflictive relationships.
This dynamic raises major issues regarding the safety and emotional well-being of persons who are drawn to this attraction.
Pistorius said some with hybristophilia would actively and actually pursue, become accomplices and commit crimes to assist their criminal lovers.
In 2021, a video of a female prison guard and male inmate having sex went viral. This dynamic may also exemplify hybristophilia.
“A video with flustering scenes of alleged sexual activity between an official and an inmate at the Ncome Correctional Centre, KwaZulu-Natal Region, has left the Department of Correctional Services appalled, embarrassed and gutted,” the department said at the time.
The video made rounds on X (Twitter), and some social media users claimed that the female warder may have been blackmailed by the convict, who is seen setting up a recording device before the two began kissing.
Another instance which occurred in a prison in 2017, and made headlines was when pictured went viral of inmates in the Sun City prison in Gauteng being entertained by ‘strippers’.
Pictures surfaced on social media of two scantily clad women in thigh-high boots brushing up against orange overall wearing men.The event on June 2017 was organised as part of the Youth Month festivities, as part of a programme aimed at assisting in the rehabilitation of convicts.
The women, however, caught officials off guard with their wardrobe choices.
While having been organised by officials, the willingness of the women to go to the facility filled with criminals raised eyebrows. The country’s statistics of gender-based violence are horrific, yet, the women seemed to be at ease, surrounded by dangerous men.
At the time, the department of correctional services then acting national commissioner, James Smalberger, apologised to South Africans, stating that the incident was inappropriate.
“That was a clear breach of the security plan that was provided for the event as well as other relevant policies and procedures,” he said at the time.
Subsequently, 13 correctional services officials were suspended for the incident.
The phenomenon is not limited to women falling for criminals, the opposite is also true, with famous female prisoners getting hundreds of letters and propositions from men.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, an American convicted murderer — who killed her mother — reportedly got letters from over 250 men across the globe. She ended up getting married while in prison. After she was released in December of 2023, she became an instant social media star with millions of followers and had a documentary in the works.
Subsequently, she got a divorce. However, she immediately got into a new relationship and announced that she was pregnant.
In US media, way before the invent of the internet, women were fawning over the likes of Ted Bundy, a depraved serial killer who also kidnapped, raped, and murdered dozens of young women. He confessed to killing 30 young women, yet, other young women would give TV interviews sharing their attraction to him, characterising the killer as ‘charismatic and well spoken’.
Heartthrob Zack Efron channelled Bundy in a film about his crimes in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile which further perpetuated the lore of the killer.
Hybristophilia does not have a ‘cure’ but through therapy, self-awareness, and active decision-making, people can rediscover and engage in ‘societally approved’ behaviours and form genuine, healthy friendships based on mutual respect.
xolile.mtembu@iol.co.za
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