Ever Wonder Why Society Is Obsessed With True Crime? A Psychotherapist Weighs In
Netflix’s recent coverage on Jeffrey Dahmer has sparked more interest.
We all have that one person in our lives who is obsessed with true crime — perhaps, it’s you. But why? Well, psychotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig has offered his insight on why society, including celebrities, can’t get enough of learning about horrific real life crimes.
For years, there’s been a renowned interest among all true crime things, including serial killer documentaries, series and movies. Most recently, thanks to the Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters, and the docuseries Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, Jeffrey Dahmer has been a hot topic despite the fact that his horrendous crimes took place over three decades ago.
According to Ludwig, the fact that criminals are so far different from the common person makes them so interesting, triggering society’s obsession.
“People who are functioning well in society, we have empathy. We can consider other people from their vantage point,” he told Fox News Digital. “And when we look at some of these criminals, what’s interesting is that they are like us in some ways, but the ways in which they’re not like us is very intriguing.”
He added, “And it gets us to ask ourselves the question, What went wrong? Why is this person operating so differently? And it helps us to feel in some ways safer, in the sense that if we understand what’s going on in these criminal situations or if we can understand the criminal mind, can we protect ourselves in some way from being victims?”
However, Ludwig believes there’s a different reason why celebrities may be intrigued by criminals and their infamous acts.
“I’m sure they at times feel like they are victimized by their public and feel this connection with victims in a very different kind of way,” Ludwig explained. “And then their fascination with the human condition, because very often actors have to play these roles that if you speak to actors, some of their favorite roles is playing the evil person or the bad person … Because they get to access that part of their personality in a safe way, in a creative way.”
Both Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes are currently streaming on Netflix.
