Vaknin Talks

Full transcripts of Sam Vaknin's videos

Classifying Narcissists: Sanity and Masks

Professor Sam Vaknin discusses typologies of narcissists, including the elitist, amorous, unprincipled, and compensatory narcissists. He also delves into the concepts of sanity, hypersanity, and the mask of sanity. Additionally, he explores the distinctions between cerebral and somatic narcissists and

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Doormat Covert Narcissist Turns Primary Psychopath

In this video, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the covert narcissist and their potential for change. He explains that the covert narcissist can transform into a primary psychopath under stress, and that they experience identity disturbance and difficulty in maintaining relationships.

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Narcissist’s Rant: I Want to Go Home

Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the negative impact of narcissism on society, stating that as the world becomes more narcissistic, it becomes more difficult for narcissists to thrive. He argues that the world is becoming increasingly grandiose, malignant, and psychopathic, with

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Is It OK to Cheat on My Narcissist?

In summary, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses three types of cheating in relationships with narcissists: cheating to preserve the shared fantasy, cheating to exit the shared fantasy, and cheating to mortify the narcissist. Cheating to preserve the shared fantasy does not

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Covert Borderline, Classic Borderline – Psychopaths?

Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the proposed new mental health diagnosis of covert borderline, which is more typical of men. He compares and contrasts the covert borderline with the classic or dysregulated borderline. Both types have mood lability and emotional dysregulation,

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Simple Trick: Tell Apart Narcissist, Psychopath, Borderline

Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of stability and instability in narcissistic personalities. He distinguishes between two types of narcissists: compensatory stability and enhancing instability. He also explores the role of appearance and substance in the narcissistic pathology, and the

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