We are drawn to these stories because they force us to ask a terrifying question: Under enough pressure, would I admit to something I didn't do? 3. The Secular Echo of a Sacred Rite
For centuries, confession was strictly a spiritual matter. St. Augustine's Confessions , written around 400 A.D., set the gold standard for using raw, personal admission as a way to forge a path for others to follow.
Because " The Confession " is a title shared by several famous works—including the legendary , the gripping true-crime documentary series on Netflix, and the classic autobiographical masterpiece by St. Augustine —I have written this feature on the broader, universally fascinating concept of the psychology of the confession in storytelling .