Empath and Gaslighting: Setting the Record Straight
Self-proclaimed empaths are actually narcissistic individuals seeking attention and victimhood. Highly sensitive persons (HSPs) are extremely few and far between and are unlikely to expose themselves in cyberspace. Gaslighting is often confused and conflated with dissociation, confabulation, and dissonances. Narcissists rarely engage in gaslighting, which is a psychopathic tactic. Narcissists’ desperate attempt to restore continuity, introduce some glue into the disjointed parts of their personality, and dissonances are very common but have nothing to do with gaslighting.
LECTURE Narcissist: There Is Nobody Home (English and Hungarian)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the development of narcissism in children due to trauma and dysfunctional parenting. He also touches on the challenges of treating narcissism and the impact of narcissistic abuse on victims. He emphasizes the need for addressing underlying psychological issues and the difficulty in preventing children from developing narcissistic traits in certain environments.
Social Media, ISIS, and Narcissism as Death Cults
In this transcript, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the rise of narcissism in society and its connection to social media. He suggests that social media has become a potent drug that fosters addiction, depression, and anxiety, especially among vulnerable age groups. Vaknin also argues that the decline of traditional institutions and the rise of a death-centered culture have led to a society that values objects and appearances over human relationships and life itself. This has resulted in a growing preoccupation with issues of life and death, such as abortion and euthanasia.
Narcissism 101 and Narcissistic Abuse 101 with Robert Stark
Narcissism is on the rise due to societal changes that encourage self-promotion and attention-seeking behavior. Narcissists are pro-social and dependent on others for validation, while psychopaths are anti-social and do not depend on others. Narcissism is considered an environmental condition, reacting to trauma and adapting for survival. Therapy for narcissism has limited long-term effects on the core of the disorder, but can modify behaviors and communication patterns.
Asperger’s and Narcissism with Melanie Amandine
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the differences between Asperger’s and narcissistic personality disorder, stating that while they may exhibit similar behaviors, their motivations are different. He also talks about his cold therapy treatment for pathological narcissism and depression, but notes that it is not a universal treatment modality and would not be suitable for someone with both autism and narcissism. Vaknin expresses concern about the spread of misinformation about narcissism online and the lack of gatekeepers to ensure accurate information is shared.
Dissonances, Anxiety, and Addiction (Intl. Conference on Addiction, Psychiatry and Mental Health)
Dissonance, or inner conflict, is a powerful force that can lead to addictive, traumatic, or post-traumatic behaviors. While cognitive dissonance is widely discussed, there are many other types of dissonance, including volitional, emotional, axiological, deontic, and attitude dissonance. Dissonance can arise from conflicting thoughts, emotions, values, duties, and attitudes. When defense mechanisms fail to cope with dissonance, severe anxiety can lead to self-medication and addiction, which can engender trauma and personality pathologies such as narcissism.
Psychotic Grandiosity: The Case of Jesus “Christ”, Narcissist
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the psychology and potential psychopathology of Jesus Christ, suggesting that he may have been a narcissist. He supports this claim by analyzing passages from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, highlighting instances of Jesus’ grandiosity, lack of empathy, and manipulative behavior. Vaknin concludes that Jesus’ narcissism ultimately led to his downfall, as people grew tired of his overbearing presence and destructive influence.
Addiction as a Normal State (3rd International Conference on Addiction Research and Therapy)
Addiction should be viewed in a new light, as it is the natural state of humanity. Addictions are powerful, organized, and explanatory principles that provide life with meaning, purpose, and direction. Addictions are ways to regulate emotions, modulate interpersonal relationships, and are communication protocols. Addictions are the scaffolding of life itself, and they have a biological and neurological presence in the brain. We need to reconceive addiction in the broader context of social psychology or just psychology.
In Defense of Psychoanalysis (Psychiatry Talks, April 2019, San Antonio)
Psychoanalysis, initially developed by Sigmund Freud, has been influential in the field of psychology but is now considered more of a literary exercise than a scientific practice. Critics argue that it lacks empirical support and is ambiguous in its explanations of human behavior. However, psychoanalysis can be seen as a valuable organizing principle and narrative for understanding human psychological development, even if it doesn’t meet the strict criteria of a scientific theory. Ultimately, whether psychoanalysis should be treated as a science or an art form depends on one’s perspective and expectations.
Collapsed Narcissist, Collapsed Histrionic
Pathological narcissism is a post-traumatic condition that is a result of severe abuse by primary caregivers, peers, or authority figures. Narcissists require a form of narcissistic supply, and when the supply is deficient, they resort to several adaptive solutions. These solutions include the delusional narrative solution, the antisocial solution, the paranoid schizoid solution, the paranoid, aggressive or explosive solution, and the masochistic avoidance solution. In extreme cases, the collapsed narcissist or collapsed histrionic falls apart in a process of disintegration known as decompensation, which is accompanied by acting out.