Social Media Want YOU Isolated, Angry, Envious, Scared (with Moshe Fabrikant, Israel)
Sam Vaknin discusses the impact of the digital age on narcissism and social media. He highlights the narcissistic elements of social media and its negative effects on intimacy, community, and human interaction. Vaknin also addresses the dangers of the metaverse, the manipulation and escalation of behavior on social media, and the need for ethical guidelines and regulation. He emphasizes the performative nature of relationships in the digital age and the shift towards fantasy-based interactions.
How We Read Other People’s Minds
Sam Vaknin discusses the pandemic of loneliness and anxiety on RTL television. He delves into the topic of how people read other people’s minds, touching on body language cues, empathy, and the unconscious. He explores concepts such as intersubjectivity, mentalization, and internalization, and their impact on mental health and relationships. Vaknin also connects these processes to attachment theory and psychoanalytic concepts like introjection and identification.
Tragic History of the Narcissist You Shared Your Life With (with Moshe Fabrikant)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses narcissism as a crucial phase in child development and its impact on adult behavior. He explains that narcissists are stuck in a fantasy world and are incapable of genuine care or love. He also delves into the impact of narcissists on relationships and the world, suggesting that they cause a significant amount of evil.
Keys to Understanding Our Times: From Identity to Attention to Reality
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the transitions in human history from the rise of the author and the original, to the age of intellectual property, to the attention economy, and finally to the impending dominance of reality by high-tech giants. He explains the impact of urbanization on the need for attention and the emergence of identity politics. Vaknin also delves into the challenges posed by digital goods, the attention economy, and the potential future of reality being controlled and customized by technology giants. He warns of the potential enslavement of individuals to these technological systems.
How to Resolve Your Inner Conflicts? Deceive Yourself!
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the availability of his video transcripts in an Android app and website. He clarifies the difference between parts and self-states in psychology. He then delves into the concept of dissonance and offers five ways to resolve conflicting thoughts and emotions. He also describes various types of dissonance and how they can be resolved using the same five solutions.
What We are Getting Wrong About Mental Illness: Diagnostic Manuals are BROKEN
Professor Sam Vaknin argues that the current diagnostic manuals for mental health disorders, such as the DSM and ICD, are flawed and should be restructured into three parts based on the three phases of life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. He believes that mental health disorders should be categorized as brain abnormalities, relational/societal disorders, and innate disorders. Vaknin also questions the validity of antisocial personality disorder as a mental illness, suggesting that it may be more of a tool for social control rather than a proper clinical entity.
How One Becomes a Psychopath: Antisocial Personality Disorder Revisited
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and its relationship to psychopathy, noting that it is difficult to treat as it is a childhood disorder that starts around ages six to eight and is associated with other comorbidities. He suggests that ASPD, along with borderline personality disorder and narcissism, are childhood disorders that should be treated with child psychology. Vaknin also discusses the history of the diagnosis of ASPD, noting that childhood behavior problems are the best predictors of adult antisocial behavior. He suggests that ASPD is a societal disorder and that we need to focus on troubled children who are at the greatest risk of developing ASPD.
Nature vs. Nurture? BOTH
The distinction between nature and nurture is a false dichotomy, as genes are natural but constitute an internal environment that is reactive to the external environment. The activation of certain genes is passed on through generations, and the internal environment operates on aspects of the external environment, affecting it. The concept of nature is a romantic invention, and the dualism of man versus nature is universally acknowledged but false. Man is part of nature, and all species modify their environment and ecosystems. The false dichotomy reduces our ability to understand the interlocking mechanisms that shape us.
Narcissistic vs. Sadistic Supply
There are two types of supply that narcissists consume in order to regulate their internal environment: narcissistic and sadistic. Sadistic supply is a form of empowerment that caters to a highly specific type of grandiosity. Sadists are people who derive pleasure from the pain, discomfort, and humiliation of others. However, narcissists generally only seek narcissistic supply and are unlikely to engage in sadistic behaviors. Borderlines alternate between these two types of supply, depending on their self-state.
Goals of Narcissists, Borderlines, Psychopaths
In this video, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the differences in goal orientation between cluster B personality disorders, including narcissists, psychopaths, and borderlines. Narcissists are not interested in anything except for obtaining narcissistic supply, while psychopaths are goal-oriented and pursue their goals with conviction and investment. Borderlines are also goal-oriented, but they mislabel their goals as emotional states and construct a fantastic narrative to explain their behavior. It is important to differentiate between these disorders to avoid confusion and mislabeling.