Published on
updated on
Reading 3 min.
in collaboration with
Johanna Rozenblum (clinical psychologist)
And
Dr Joachim Müllner (Psychiatrist)
Since September 19, a new series about a chilling (and very real) murder has entered the Netflix top. The subject? Two brothers (Lyle and Erik Menendez) who, at the dawn of adulthood, killed their parents in cold blood. What can explain such a radical act in a life? We asked the question to a psychologist and a psychiatrist.
What happened in 1989 (and probably before) that caused two brothers living in Beverly Hills and seemingly having everything going for them to succeed to organize the murder (at close range) of their two parents? This is the subject of Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, online on Netflix since September 19.
Beneath the veneer, a dysfunctional family
It’s Ryan Murphy, already at the origin of Dahmer in 2022 on Netflix (a cannibalistic serial killer) who this time focused on deciphering the journey of those he calls his “monsters” and who one day decided to target their parents with two weapons. Without excusing the perpetrators of the murder, the show runner wanted to give many details and context on this story that made headlines in the 89-90s.
So, beneath the veneer, a dysfunctional family has indeed emerged. Lyle and Erik Menendez may have been “well-born” and grown up in a wealthy family, but they seem to have been victims of toxic parents. According to the trailer, the father had been hitting them since childhood (incest is also suggested) while the mother openly said she hated them, holding them responsible for the failure of her life. An unbearable context, certainly, but how could it have led them to murder?
A breakdown against a backdrop of revenge
For Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist, contacted for the subject, “Any criminal act involves a form of decompensation which can be linked to trauma, in fact, physical or sexual abuse in childhood”. In this specific case, “A dysfunctional family pattern where violence reigns can indeed cause children to grow up with a spirit of revenge.” However, this cannot be realized in adulthood.”than through psychotic decompensation, substance use or a new intra-family conflict.” So there must be a trigger effect.
Intricate, complex causes, difficult to understand in the passages to action
For psychiatrist Joachim Mullner, also a member of our expert committee, such a horrible act is also difficult to explain by a single, simple, clear cause. These are more often intertwined and complex.
Among these causes of violent action there are some well-known ones:
- Alcohol consumption;
- Exposure, from a young age, to violence, either against oneself or against those close to oneself, can also lead to the brain becoming accustomed to it or even learning violence as an appropriate way of interacting with reality;
- A history of psychotrauma is found more in perpetrators of violence than in the general population;
- Precariousness is obviously also a strong source of antisocial behavior (which was not the case with the murderous brothers);
- Certain psychiatric disorders can also increase the risk of acting out, for example disorders involving disorganization of the brain’s processing of information with disorganization of thinking, emotions and behavior.
- Finally, in the most serious criminals (like Dahmer), we often find personality disorders, particularly of the sociopathic type, also called “psychopathic“, “personality whose biological and social determinations are obviously intertwined, but whose biological weight can be suspected to be all the more important as the disorders occur in early childhood (violence, cruelty, pleasure in seeing others suffer, etc.)”
Feeling good in your body, feeling good in your head!
Can the Menendez brothers be called monsters?
Finally, for our psychiatrist, to understand this barbaric act, it is important to make one point: “monsters do not exist”, he insists.
“Indeed, there is no discontinuity between “normal” people on one side and “monsters” on the other. It is a set of factors, determinants, causes, biological, psychological, educational, social, cultural, which mean that, little by little, a person can end up committing monstrous acts.”
As disturbing as it may seem, it is sometimes people with “no history”, without any history of any disorder whatsoever, who can commit monstrous acts.
“It is also important to remember that these disorders mentioned first and foremost lead to a greatly increased risk of being victims of violence, but for the patients themselves,” balances the psychiatrist. Attacking others (or one’s own family) is thus much rarer. But it makes for better series for true crime fans.