Hybristophilia

Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University, discusses the condition in women and mentions that some of the women who have married or dated male serial killers have offered the following reasons:[1] Others offered reasons along the lines of: "Some mental health experts have compared infatuation with killers to extreme forms of fanaticism.

"[1] Psychologist Leon F. Seltzer proposes the condition could be related to the riskiness involved with dating a criminal, the desire to tame or fix them, and primitive instincts based on evolutionary psychology.

[2] As evidence of women's fantasy preference for dominant men, he refers to the book A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire by Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam.

[6] Social media contributions for an easier method of showcasing attraction to the criminal hybristophilia have also been noted about; a 2023 paper stated that "If social media platforms including TikTok provide users with the ability to freely express themselves publicly and anonymously, then individuals wanting to showcase and share their affection and admiration for criminal offenders might opt to utilize these platforms for this purpose.

"[7] A linkage was also made to the case of it being for the purpose of 'controlling fear', in which people consciously or unconsciously deny the threat in accordance with the extended parallel process model.