The frenzy over crime shows in recent years has led many to question both the origins of this morbid interest and its impact. In my opinion, people watch these shows to dispel or safely confirm psychological similarities with the killers and the result for society will be negligible in most cases.
The reason people watch crime shows is to understand and compare the psychology of killers. The mystery of these shows goes deeper than figuring out which suspect is the real perpetrator. Audiences are chiefly concerned with the motive and the best shows analyse compelling, complex personality archetypes. People can then try to parse out whether or not these individuals are driven by human nature and are just expressing their desires differing from law-abiding citizens or if they are qualitatively different from the average person. Some watches to try to unequivocally differentiate themselves while others experience a guilty, unconscious pleasure in identification and vicarious living.
The end result of all these shows related to crime will amount to nothing in the final analysis. There will be some exceptions where individuals develop an unhealthy obsession that isolates them from normal society or claim them as excuses for their own crimes, but this is just as likely to occur with any form of entertainment. The majority of people watch these shows, think about them and talk about them just as they discuss a book or a sports team. Research has been unable to show any direct link between watching crime shows and committing crimes or altering one’s outlook towards others. Similarly, they will not have a positive impact since most people do not watch them to get tips to avoid criminals and the sample sizes for the crimes taking place are too small relative to the knowledge gained.
In conclusion, people watch crime shows to exonerate or convict themselves and it is a benign obsession. It is more important for psychologists to examine the drive to fascination than its object.
The frenzy over
crime
shows
in recent years has led
many
to question both the origins of this morbid interest and its impact. In my opinion,
people
watch
these
shows
to dispel or
safely
confirm psychological similarities with the killers and the result for society will be negligible
in most cases
.
The reason
people
watch
crime
shows
is to understand and compare the psychology of killers. The mystery of these
shows
goes deeper than figuring out which suspect is the real perpetrator. Audiences are
chiefly
concerned with the motive and the best
shows
analyse
compelling, complex personality archetypes.
People
can then try to parse out
whether or not
these individuals
are driven
by human nature and are
just
expressing their desires differing from law-abiding citizens or if they are
qualitatively
different
from the average person.
Some
watches
to try to
unequivocally
differentiate themselves while others experience a guilty, unconscious pleasure in identification and vicarious living.
The
end
result of all these
shows
related to
crime
will amount to nothing in the final analysis. There will be
some
exceptions where individuals develop an unhealthy obsession that isolates them from normal society or claim them as excuses for their
own
crimes
,
but
this is
just
as likely to occur with any form of entertainment. The majority of
people
watch
these
shows
,
think
about them and talk about them
just
as they discuss a book or a sports team. Research has been unable to
show
any direct link between watching
crime
shows
and committing
crimes
or altering one’s outlook towards others.
Similarly
, they will not have a
positive
impact since most
people
do not
watch
them to
get
tips to avoid criminals and the sample sizes for the
crimes
taking place are too
small
relative to the knowledge gained.
In conclusion
,
people
watch
crime
shows
to exonerate or convict themselves and it is a benign obsession. It is more
important
for psychologists to examine the drive to fascination than its object.