Vaknin Talks

Full transcripts of Sam Vaknin's videos

Brain Injury, Head Trauma, Personality Disorders

Head trauma can cause temporary narcissistic behaviors and traits, but it cannot induce a full-fledged personality disorder. People with brain injuries may acquire traits and behaviors typical of certain personality disorders, but head trauma never results in a long-term personality

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Narcissistic Grandiosity Bubbles

Grandiosity bubbles are a rare event in the life of a narcissist. They involve the creation of an imagined, self-aggrandizing narrative that the narcissist weaves around elements of his real life. The narcissist modifies his behavior to conform to the

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Narcissism of Small Differences

Narcissism of Small Differences is a phenomenon where people reserve their most virulent emotions, aggression, hatred, envy, towards those who resemble them the most. The ugliest manifestations of racism up to genocide are reserved for immigrants who look, act and

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Narcissist: Normal People are Enigma

The narcissist feels that they cannot understand normal people and that they are often exploited in their relationships. They try hard not to offend others and give a lot, but it seems that they can do nothing right. The narcissist

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Narcissist’s Reality Substitutes

Pathological narcissism is a defense mechanism that isolates the narcissist from their environment and shields them from hurt and injury. The false self is a psychological construct that replaces the narcissist’s true self and is intended to elicit praise and

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Narcissist: You are Cardboard Cutouts, Avatars

Narcissists lack object constancy, which means they struggle to see people as reliable, predictable, and trustworthy. Instead, they create mental representations of people, which are often confabulations and projections of their inner world. These substitutes provide the narcissist with narcissistic

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Narcissists Hard to Spot

Narcissistic personality disorder is difficult to isolate with certainty, and it is important to distinguish between inherent traits and reactive patterns. Narcissism is considered pathological only when it becomes a rigid personality structure with primitive defense mechanisms and leads to

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Narcissist of Substance vs. Narcissist of Appearances

There are two types of narcissists: those who derive ample narcissistic supply from mere appearances and those whose narcissistic supply consists of doing substantial deeds. The former type of narcissist aims for celebrity, defined as being famous for being famous,

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Narcissist’s Addiction to Fame and Celebrity

Narcissists are addicted to being famous as it provides them with power, constant narcissistic supply, and fulfills important ego functions. The narcissist’s only bad emotional stretches are during periods of lack of attention, publicity, or exposure. The more the narcissist

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Normal Personality and Personality Disorders

Personality is a complex pattern of deeply embedded psychological characteristics that are expressed automatically in almost every area of psychological function. Personality traits are enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment in oneself that are exhibited

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