Are there really people who think rules just don't apply to them?

Any good, dyed-in-the-wool narcissist will proudly carry that reliably inflated ego. In the preliminary drafts for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), narcissists are said to display a self-grandiosity that causes a sense of entitlement. It's here where you might find your politician who thinks that having a mistress -- in plain sight -- won't come back to bite his image as a family man. (Not that the trend couldn't be reversed, but narcissistic personality disorder historically affects more men than women [source: Mayo Clinic].)

Which brings us to one John Edwards, former North Carolina senator, vice presidential nominee, onetime presidential contender and self-described narcissist. Edwards famously played on his image as a devoted husband to his wife, Elizabeth. But that didn't stop him from carrying on a not-so-hidden affair with Rielle Hunter, a documentary filmmaker. Edwards was even accused of going a step farther and really breaking the rules when he went on trial for siphoning campaign money to take care of a pregnant Hunter. (He denied the charges, and the jury was hung.) In order to hide his relationship with Hunter, a (married) Edwards' staffer took responsibility as the father of her child, even as Edwards continued his relationship with her.

And what makes a person think they can get away with such baldly unethical behavior? As Edwards himself put it to ABC News, "[My experiences] fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe you can do whatever you want. You're invincible. And there will be no consequences" [source: Friedman].

One interesting note is that studies have been done to show that narcissists -- while totally into themselves -- also are aware of their own narcissism, and recognize that they're often into power and exaggeration. More so, they even admit that how they are perceived by others is less flattering than how they think they are [source: Kaufman]. Which might indicate that changing narcissistic behavior is possible -- if narcissists think being more agreeable and authentic will get them what they want.

As we've said, the DSM-V was still in the works at press time. But they had released some preliminary materials about how they're changing diagnoses for personality disorders, and one important note is that "antisocial personality disorder" is now the catchall for psychopathy, too. Basically, this means you won't get a diagnosis of being a "psychopath" from your psychiatrist, but of having "antisocial personality disorder." (A little more on how you can have the behavior traits of a psychopath later.)

However you categorize it, some antisocial traits are pretty intense. People with antisocial personality disorder might display what the DSM-V refers to as "callous behavior," including a lack of guilt or remorse about their negative actions. They might manipulate people to achieve their own ends, using dishonest methods of integration or deception. They might anger at really small insults. On top of all this, they could also be disinhibited, meaning they might be impulsive or take risks without regard to consequences.

Even more disturbing is that these behaviors aren't just in adults. There's been an interest in studying children with antisocial personality disorder, especially those with strong "callous-unemotional" (CU) traits. Those traits -- the ones that basically make someone cold and calculating as opposed to impulsive and unthinking -- help construct a guideline for a psychopath. The fact that children display them is, of course, controversial -- lots of children act out behaviors that could be construed as antisocial. The difference is interesting; one study noted that nearly every psychopathic adult was antisocial as a child, while half the children with high antisocial measures didn't become psychopaths. So an antisocial child won't necessarily become a psychopath, but if you've been deemed a psychopath you're going to display antisocial behavior as a youngster [source: Kahn].

So do these psychopaths, who display antisocial behaviors at a young age, give us evidence that there are some people who just do not have the psychological -- or biological -- capacity to accept they're not above the rules? Perhaps. More tellingly, it probably shows us that if people can corral these instincts in ways we find socially acceptable (amassing power or money) as opposed to deplorable (violence), we're more than willing to celebrate breaking the rules.