I'm curious whether any research has been done on the psychological impact, positive or negative, of seeing socially deviant behavior and the desire to engage in similar behaviors.
Have psychologists conducted any studies on the impact of crime fiction and immoral/unethical behavior on persons who consume this genre? Ideas are welcome.
Hi Tayyaba! Great topic :)) True crime has definitely become more present in popular media over the last few years, and this has led some researchers to question its impact on our mental health. I linked an article from a website below that lists some studies, but I think the general consensus is that consuming true crime / crime fiction isn't harmful unless it starts to interfere with one's daily life.
For example, women in particular are drawn to true crime stories about rape, murder, and serial killers (Vicary & Fraley, 2010). Theoretically, women use these stories to examine the crimes in case it were to ever happen to them. This can be good to raise awareness, but if a woman were to become overly paranoid or anxious and unable to normally work or leave her house, this would be an issue.
Vicary, A. M., & Fraley, R. C. (2010). Captured by True Crime: Why Are Women Drawn to Tales of Rape, Murder, and Serial Killers? Social Psychological and Personality Science, 1(1), 81–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550609355486