Reality Or Shared Fantasy Your Choice (from Best Offer To The Matrix)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of reality and fantasy, using examples from popular movies such as The Truman Show and The Matrix. He delves into the idea of living in a dissociative state and the construction of narratives in our minds. Vaknin also explores the ethical implications of imposing happiness on others and the philosophical implications of virtual reality and simulation. He concludes by connecting these concepts to narcissism and shared fantasy in relationships.
Dead Parents Clone Narcissists (and Codependents And Borderlines)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the three types of trauma: self-inflicted, reality-inflicted, and parental-inflicted. He emphasizes the critical role of mothers in personal development and the impact of trauma on growth. Vaknin also explores the concept of nothingness as a healthy narrative and expresses skepticism about the likelihood of a shift away from narcissistic narratives in society.
Mental Illness: Network or Hierarchy? (World Psychiatrists and Psychologists Conference Webinar)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the application of network theory to mental health disorders, emphasizing the interconnectedness of symptoms and the need to incorporate both internal and external factors in understanding mental illness. He explores the symbiotic relationship between hierarchies and networks, and the impact of going viral on mental health. Vaknin also delves into the role of networks in generating meaning and value for individuals with mental illness, highlighting the positive adaptations that allow them to function in chaotic life circumstances.
Satisficing Narcissists, Borderlines, And Psychopaths Reject Life
Satisficing is a concept in decision-making theory where one prefers the minimally satisfactory or barely acceptable option. It is linked to narcissistic and psychopathic behavior and was discovered by Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert K. Simon. Satisficers have low self-esteem, external locus of control, and lack commitment, often leading to mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. They also engage in magical thinking and magical immunity, believing their actions or inactions have no real-life consequences for themselves or others.
Narcissism Hereditary, Acquired, Or Epigenetic ( Diathesis Stress Models)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the question of whether narcissism is inherited or acquired. He explores the history of narcissism and personality disorders, the influence of genetics and environment, and the emerging field of epigenetics. Vaknin emphasizes the complex interplay between nature and nurture in the development of personality disorders, and the need to consider the environment as an integral part of the individual. He also challenges traditional distinctions between mental and physical health, and the subjective nature of defining health and illness.
4 Paths of Trauma Release and Reactance (International Summit on Depression, Anxiety and Stress Management)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the connection between trauma, including external shocks such as the pandemic, and reactants, or disproportional reactions to daily triggers. He reconceives personality disorders as post-traumatic conditions, with all personality disorders in cluster B starting as trauma and abuse in early childhood. Trauma imprinting is the core of post-traumatic stress disorder and complex trauma, and triggers are places, people, smells, sounds, circumstances, dates, and objects that are reminiscent of the same classes of stressors involved in the original trauma. The pandemic has touched upon every dimension of existence, making it difficult to recover from, and there is a risk of a secondary pandemic of mental health, with millions of people developing personality disorders.
Narcissist: Don’t Touch My Narcissism
Narcissism is a choice that can be influenced by genetics and environmental factors, such as childhood trauma. It serves as a role play and narrative that helps individuals make sense of their lives and the world around them. In modern society, narcissism is often rewarded, making it difficult for individuals to give up their narcissistic behaviors. As a result, narcissism has become a pervasive aspect of society, functioning as an organizing principle and explanation for various aspects of human behavior.
Your Empathy as Narcissistic Injury: Narcissist Never Learns, No Insight
Narcissists reject empathy and intimacy because it challenges their grandiosity, and they become paranoid and aggressive when someone tries to be intimate with them. Narcissists lack empathy and access to positive emotions, leading to a truncated version of empathy called “cold empathy.” Narcissists are self-aware but lack the incentive to get rid of their narcissism, and therapy is more focused on accommodating the needs of the narcissist’s nearest and dearest. Cold Therapy is experimental and limited, as it removes the false self but does not develop empathy or improve the narcissist’s interpersonal relationships.
Your Role in Narcissist’s Shared Fantasy is Why He Hates You (hint: you make him feel himself – and human)
In summary, the narcissist’s intimate partner plays a crucial role in the shared fantasy by fulfilling the roles of admirer, playmate, and mother. This allows the narcissist to experience maximal grandiosity and feel safe enough to separate and individuate. However, the intimate partner’s presence also leads to the narcissist’s self-hatred and inability to maintain meaningful communication with both the outside world and himself. The intimate partner ultimately becomes a threat to the narcissist, as they make the narcissist feel human, which is something the narcissist does not want to be.
How to Overcome Pandemic’s CPTSD (Keynote Speech Covid-19 Global Summit)
Professor Sam Vaknin discussed the psychological implications of the COVID pandemic, focusing on trauma psychology models. He explained that the pandemic has caused a collective trauma, leading to a potential increase in mental health issues and personality disorders. The pandemic has disrupted our ability to create meaningful narratives and has attacked our core identity, causing dissociative symptoms and identity disturbance. Vaknin suggests that mental health practitioners must help facilitate the healing process for individuals affected by the pandemic.