Meaning
What does Hybristophilia mean?
Hybristophilia is the paraphilia of being attracted and sexually aroused by people, who had committed an outrage or severe acts of criminality, ranging from lying and cheating to stealing, robbing and even murdering.
The condition is also known as Bonnie & Clyde syndrome, as the “hybristophile” is historically known to be often the inciter of the misdemeanor.
It varies from person to person, although there are two distinguished categories of a “hybristophiliac”; these are active and passive.
An active patient is willing to take part in or otherwise collaborate in the criminal act, sometimes going as far as murdering someone.
A passive “hybristophile” is only keeping in touch with the criminal, most of the time acting as a “prison groupie”, a fangirl after the offender had been captured and brought to justice.
“Hybristophilia” is documented to be more prevalent among women, however there is no scientific explanation, why this is the case.
Origin
What's the origin of Hybristophilia?
The condition had been part of human history since time immemorial, though it is unclear who and when categorized someone as a “hybristophile”.
The term is a comprised of the Greek words hybris, which means wanton violence, insolence or outrage, and –philia, which means affection toward something.
Spread & Usage
How did Hybristophilia spread?
The lid was blown off of the condition in the second half of the 20th century, as notorious serial killers, like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson gained a lot of traction through the news, to which they received lots of admiring letters and even marriage proposals in prison, from “hybristophiliacs” who had learnt of their acts.
The first definition on the condition was uploaded to Urban Dictionary in 2013.

External resources
- Criminal Minds Wiki – Hybristophilia
- Wikipedia – Hybristophilia