Can you recognize a vulnerable narcissist? Here’s how.

The perpetrators intended to commit fraud. They seek to enrich themselves at any cost. They rationalize why they might be breaking the law, and that’s mostly because they don’t believe the rules apply to them. If they’re not physically harming anyone, what’s the big deal? Intentional criminals marinate over time. They are not born; they are done. The environment and circumstances allow them to commit their misdeeds.

Intentional criminals are the most dangerous category of criminals and the most destructive. They are everywhere, in every industry; they blend well with others because they have traits that we value so much in this culture. These are very smart, self-confident people who know how to take risks and work well with people. While you may think you know them, you really don’t. They push boundaries and are often rewarded for doing so. What makes them so powerful is that they are usually completely and completely in control of the situation.

Willful criminals think they are smarter than others and often have a truly superior skill set. They will do everything to move forward. They are dangerously arrogant and arrogant, and it is their arrogance that makes them think they can get away with things that other people can’t.

Movies are made about premeditated criminals; Series about them clog the air. In the Netflix series OzarkFor example, financial consultant Marty Bird has been secretly laundering money for Mexico’s second-largest drug cartel for years. The series shows how a cash-based business can be subject to money laundering by illegal businesses. Marty and his business partner Bruce Liddell are both criminals by design.

Most of us are arrogant to some degree. If you are successful, you must have some degree of arrogance. But willful criminals take it to another level. Because they are so adorable, people tend to love them, often opening doors for them that might be closed to the rest of us.

Grandiose narcissism is the traditional corporate form of narcissism that we see every day.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota identified three types of arrogance: individual, comparative, and antagonistic. Individual arrogance is when a person has a heightened sense of their own qualities, abilities or achievements. Comparative arrogance is when a person has an inflated rating of their abilities compared to other people. Antagonistic arrogance, which is considered the worst type, occurs in people who like to vilify others based on the assumption of superiority.

Intentional criminals fluctuate between these different levels of arrogance depending on the severity of the crime.

Arrogance is also a component of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), a clinical diagnosis in the DSM-5, the diagnostic bible of mental disorders. Along with psychopathy and Machiavellianism, narcissism is one of the three characteristics of the “Dark Triad” of personality traits, a term used in Journal of Personality Research article published in 2002.

Also known as arrogant narcissists, people with NPD tend to be obsessed with achievement and success. They have great self-esteem. They are charming and often successful, but they are desperate for recognition. They are very intelligent on a number of subjects and very eloquent. They are charismatic and attractive. And they’ll pull the carpet right out from under you and then they’ll run away with it.

Most of us are narcissistic and also arrogant. Narcissism has a negative connotation, but like everything, narcissism exists on a spectrum. Narcissism is a mental health diagnosis with many variations. There are vulnerable narcissists – that is, people with fragile self-esteem – and, on the other hand, grandiose narcissists with exorbitantly high confidence and a strong sense of superiority.

The grandiose daffodils are to be admired. They have inflated self-esteem and think they should get special permissions just because they are so great. They often appear vain or arrogant. In general, these narcissists are more assertive and extroverted than their counterparts with the standard NIP. In my experience, willful criminals tend to display traits of grandiose narcissism.

Grandiose narcissism is the traditional corporate form of narcissism that we see every day: those who have it are driven, dedicated, focused. While they can be exploitative and aggressive, I think this is more of a “good type” manifestation.

Typical grandiose narcissists have super-high confidence and self-esteem. They have rights too, they get angry quickly and are often fickle. On the other hand, vulnerable narcissists are much more introverted and less charismatic than their grandiose compatriots.