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Everyone is unique–physically, psychologically, experientially. However, the criminal is certain that he is like no one else. While paying lip service to what he shares in common with other people, the criminal’s sense of uniqueness constitutes the cornerstone of his self-image. He believes that no one has the thoughts that he does, and no one can possibly understand him.
The criminal thinks that he is exceptional and superior. Because of his self-imposed isolation, pervasive secrecy, and constant maneuvering to gain an advantage, others do not know who he is or what he is up to. The criminal thinks he is unique because he has managed to outsmart others and get away with more than anyone realizes. A master of deception, he baffles and surprises even the people who think they know him best.
Because he is who he is, the criminal expects others to accord him the status and respect that he is entitled to. He believes he should be in charge because of his specialness–his intelligence and unusual abilities. If a criminal joins a baseball team, he presumes that he should be the captain regardless of his proficiency and experience. If he is not elevated to a position of leadership, he will either quit or stick around and make life miserable for his teammates.
The criminal believes he shares little in common with others and is likely to harbor contempt for them. In a classroom or other group setting, he thinks he has little to learn from peers, and he is likely to think that he knows more than an instructor. Corrections and mental health professionals often discover that assembling criminals in a group for counseling results in the formation of a gang, not a group. Each member has his own agenda and strives to take charge while believing he has nothing to learn. What applies to others has no application to his life. To submit to any person, program or system is to lose his identity.
The criminal has little tolerance for disagreement and minimal interest in the opinions of others. Certain that he is correct because he is smarter or better informed, he seldom finds merit in compromise. Even to accept advice is demeaning. He does not need it because he knows it all. Because of his sense of superiority, the criminal sees no need to prove anything to anyone.
If others do not affirm the view a criminal has of himself as unique, he takes it personally and feels diminished. He grows impatient and angry, then doubles down insisting on the correctness of his position. Facts and evidence do not matter unless they support what he already thinks. For him, just thinking something makes it so. The most serious consequence of this sense of uniqueness is that the criminal believes he is not bound by moral or legal restraints.
