Internet: The Narcissist’s Hunting Haunt and Playground (Gazeta Polska)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the relationship between social media and narcissism, arguing that social media platforms were designed to be addictive and encourage aggression. He explains that the need to be seen is a natural human need, but it can become malignant and pathological when people become addicted to external feedback that lacks information. Vaknin also shares his own approach to using social media in a non-narcissistic way, which involves disseminating only information and eliminating any comments that have a personal angle. Finally, he argues that social media was never meant to be used for personal communication, and that it can be deleterious and dangerous to personal interaction.
The Narcissist’s Inner World and His Intimate Partner: New Directions
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the difference between healthy and unhealthy narcissism, the prevalence of narcissism, the emotional components of self-awareness, the role of emotions in narcissists, the types of abuse, the characteristics of narcissism, and the effectiveness of cold therapy in treating narcissism and depression. He also explains the concept of trauma bonding and the challenges in breaking free from a relationship with a narcissist.
Narcissism, Brain Injury, Personality, Computers (10th Conf. Psychiatry, Psychology & Brain Studies)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the connection between trauma, brain, personality disorders, and cerebral models. He uses the example of Phineas Gage, whose brain injury turned him into a psychopathic narcissist, to illustrate how brain trauma can have massive systemic effects on personality. Vaknin also explores the software metaphor of the mind, suggesting that if the brain is like software, it must contain features such as parity checks, multiple levels of excitation, redundancy, comparison of representational elements to models of the world, recursive functions, and self-organization. However, he acknowledges that understanding the brain and the connection between mind and personality is still a long way off.
Mental Illness: Myth or Real? (7th International Conference on Brain Disorders and Therapeutics)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the debate surrounding mental illness, questioning whether it is a myth or a clinical entity. He highlights the medicalization of behaviors previously considered sinful or wrong, and the impact of cultural and societal norms on the classification of mental disorders. Vaknin also addresses the limitations and controversies in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on psychiatry.
Narcissism: The New Normal? (Mental Health Speak Show)
Sam Vaknin, a professor of psychology and author of Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited, discusses the distinction between pathological narcissism and narcissism as a societal, cultural, and historical organizing principle. He believes that narcissism is an all-pervasive phenomenon today and is the organizing principle of our society, civilization, and culture. Vaknin also discusses his own experience with narcissistic personality disorder and how he has developed a treatment modality called Cold Therapy, which has had an impact on him and has been successful in treating others.
NEW VIDEO Narcissism, the New Faith – Part 2: Missionary Cult and the End of Society
Narcissism is a new, technologically driven, networked religion, and God in the new faith of narcissism is distributed. Each and every one of the nodes in the network is a God. Narcissism is a concept of God, which renders the narcissist equal to God, identical to God. Narcissism is the first network distributed religion, the first network distributed faith. In 50 to 100 years, the number one religion would be narcissism.
Narcissism, the New Faith – Part 1: Distributed God and Human Sacrifice
Narcissism can be described as a form of private religion, where the false self is the divinity and the child who has developed the false self becomes the worshipper. When narcissism becomes a societal phenomenon, it remains the same, but it becomes the first distributed religion in human history. Narcissism is a faith of entitlement, where the narcissist subsumes everything and becomes one with everything because the narcissist is everything and everything is the narcissist. The current new religion that is emerging, the religion of narcissism, is similarly embedded in the computer metaphor or more precisely in the network metaphor.
Reimagining Narcissism in a Psychopathic World (Dunc Tank)
Sam Vaknin explains that narcissism is a clinical entity and an organizing principle that can elucidate many processes. Narcissists seek external validation, known as narcissistic supply, to regulate their sense of self-worth. Narcissism and psychopathy are becoming a lifestyle, and as long as they were a pathology, they could have been contained, but the minute they become a fad or a fashion, we are doomed. Vaknin believes that there is no effective therapy for narcissism, and the only advice he has for prospective parents diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder is to not have children.
Lidija and Sam: The Tide of Narcissism (1st in Series “Fly on the Wall”)
Social media blurs the line between virtual and real reality, leading to addiction and confusion. The positive reward system of likes and shares encourages extreme behavior and radicalization. Social media creates a clash between reality and virtual or augmented reality, and the false self is unique on social media, not the real self. Narcissists use social media as an addiction to maintain their grandiosity and avoid disintegration.
Psychopathic Narcissism is Our Destiny and Destination (Obsidian Radio)
Dr. Sam Vaknin, an expert on narcissism, discusses various aspects of narcissistic behavior and its impact on society. He explains that narcissism has both healthy and pathological manifestations, with pathological narcissism being an addiction to attention and validation from others. Vaknin suggests that narcissism may be a post-traumatic condition linked to childhood abuse and trauma. He also discusses the role of narcissism in technology, politics, and relationships, proposing that it is a pervasive force shaping modern life. Additionally, Vaknin touches on the historical and social dynamics of African Americans, victimhood as an industry, and the future of gender roles, predicting an increase in female dominance due to societal and economic changes.