There is no escaping various psychological terms in the world of The Hunting Party. One of the most recent mentions was of Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome, which is not a made-up condition. The series looked into it a little, but we’re breaking down what it is.
Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome goes by the technical name of Hybristophilia. As Shane says in the episode, Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome is just easier to say, and it also characterizes the condition a lot better and clearer for those outside of the medical and behavioral science field.
Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome is a very real condition
The Hunting Party hasn’t just made up some condition for fun. This is a very real condition, and there are plenty of people who deal with it. You just have to look at the number of people who send love letters to those in jail for a variety of crimes to see that it’s real. As Shane also said in the episode, people sent love letters to Ted Bundy, and they have done to so many other serial killers.
Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome is when someone is sexually attracted to someone who commits crimes. Bonnie fell for the “bad boy” that Clyde was, and he fell more and more in love with Bonnie as she joined him. It isn’t just women being vulnerable toward men, and it can happen the other way around as well.
According to Birmingham City University, there isn’t just the sexual attraction. In some cases, the person falling for those who commit crimes wants to get involved in the crimes as well.
The Hunting Party explained some of the reasons for hybristophilia
During the episode, Bex went into some of the reasons people fall in love with the serial killers. In some cases, they want to join in as well, and in other cases, they think that they can save the person. There’s this Savior Complex element to the psychological issue at hand.
Birmingham City University went into more detail about the reasons people end up suffering from this condition. In some cases, it’s due to the attention that they get because of who they have fallen for. They end up writing books and doing interviews. This is especially the case when people don’t get the attention in childhood or other parts of life.
There is also a control element. Those who are imprisoned are in one place and can’t actually hurt the person falling in love with them. They know that they can easily contact the criminal, and they know that they won’t suffer any sexual abuse.
The Hunting Party didn’t go into all the details, but didn’t need to due to the nature of the storyline. We needed to understand Carol’s reasoning, and that was likely linked to believing that her love interest was a changed man.
The Hunting Party airs on Mondays at 10/9c on NBC. Catch up the following day on Peacock.
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