Dangerous Personalities: An FBI Profiler Shows How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People

Drawing on his experience as an FBI criminal profiler, Navarro (Louder Than Words) offers readers an thought-provoking course in psychological self-defense by profiling common personality traits of potentially harmful people. Practical above all else, the book covers the four most common personality types of criminals—narcissists, predators, the emotionally unstable, paranoiacs—providing key identifying features of each. These explanations are straightforward but nevertheless chilling, for example Navarro describes the predator as one who is “unfettered by emotional attachments, conscience, morals, laws, or ethics,” victimizing women and children or, in a corporate context, investors, all while displaying a “flat affect” like the BTK killer. The author provides a thorough checklist to help readers evaluate where a problematic individual might fall on the spectrum from taking an “emotional toll” to being an “emotional, psychological, financial, or physical danger.” In addition to the obvious warning to maintain distance, there is advice for dealing with each personality type (for example: avoid arguing with the paranoid). As he himself admits, Navarro is not a psychologist, so these are not hard and fast diagnostic tools but a more general, user-friendly set of descriptions and recommendations. The checklists and resource guide alone make this a very useful book to have on hand. Agent: Steve Ross, Abrams Artists Agency. (Oct.)