In this video, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses privacy and its relationship with narcissism. He explains that privacy is the opposite of narcissism, as narcissists do not have a private life and overshare everything. The erosion of privacy has massive implications
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the differences between narcissism, narcissistic style, and narcissistic personality disorder. He explains that narcissism is a natural developmental stage but can become pathological if it persists into adulthood. He also touches on the fluidity of cluster
The schizoid core, characterized by a lack of identity and a void, is at the foundation of personality and character pathologies. Society is gravitating towards a schizoid solution, with people preferring solitude and avoiding interactions with others. The schizoid world
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the differences between shyness, avoidant personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, introversion, homophobia, social anxiety, and anxiety disorder. He explains that mental health practitioners often conflate these constructs because they rely on observable phenomena rather than etiology
Emotions are composites and can be broken down into more basic emotions, cognitions, or states of mind. Shyness is often mistaken for other processes, such as paranoid ideation, depression, body dysmorphia, strong inhibitions, passive aggression, fear of intimacy, and hypermazochistic
Professor Sam Vaknin suggests an old Bedouin trick to resolve differences in couples or among conflicting parties. The trick involves both members of the couple compiling a list of assets, priorities, wishes, dreams, expectations, and preferences. One member of the
Professor Sam Vaknin argues that Western civilization has failed in its basic undertaking of making its members happy. He identifies four pernicious wrong turns that have led to our unhappiness: agriculture, organization, growth orientation, and the adversarial organizational principle. These
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of identity and its relation to memory, introspection, and the unconscious mind. He argues that having a memory is not a necessary or sufficient condition for possessing a self-identity, as one’s unconscious mind plays
Psychopaths are often misunderstood due to the fact that they have different brain and physiological responses to fear and risk. They experience anxiety and fear, but their reactions are subdued or absent altogether. Psychopaths misinterpret internal and external cues and
Intimacy skills are inextricably linked to the capacity to maintain and enforce personal boundaries. People with personality disorders don’t have personal boundaries, which makes it impossible for them to do intimacy. Intimacy is a balancing act between separateness and togetherness,