Entitled Victims Turn Violent (Excerpt courtesy Michael Shellenberger)
Victim-mode movements are dangerous and pernicious developments that are threatening to society. Certain people are prone to adopt victim-mode as an identity, which endows their life with meaning and makes sense of the world. Victim-mode movements are one of the most threatening developments, and they have the potential for aggression and even violence. The potential for aggression and violence in victim-mode movements is much larger than in the general population, and it’s equal to psychopathic movements like the Nazi movement.
3 Phases of Borderline’s Rollercoaster
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the regulatory cycle of the borderline personality disorder. The borderline seeks an intimate partner to provide her with a sense of inner peace, stability, and safety. The intimate partner becomes an extension of the borderline’s inner turmoil, and the borderline creates a shared fantasy with the partner. The cycle has three phases: shared fantasy, disillusionment, and transactional regulatory valley. The cycle is inevitable and ineluctable, and the borderline will try to recreate a shared fantasy with the partner or an ex-partner or become sexually self-trashing.
Nature: Grandiose Delusion (with Benny Hendel)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of nature and how humans relate to it. He argues that the traditional ways of relating to nature, such as religious domination, romanticism, and decoupling, are all dysfunctional and fail to recognize that humans are part of nature. Vaknin suggests that everything humans create is natural and that nature will use humans as agents to limit their activities if necessary. He concludes that humans need to accept that they are part of nature and act accordingly.
How Toxic Romanticism Ruined Intimacy, Relationships (Interview in Bronson Men)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the impact of narcissistic abuse and the importance of individuation and boundaries. He emphasizes the dangers of empathizing with narcissists and the prevalence of misinformation in the field of narcissism. Vaknin also delves into the broader societal issues of distrust, misinformation, and the challenges of academia.
Narcissistic Abuse and Victim Aggression (Interview in Bronson Men)
Sam Vaknin discusses pathological narcissism and how it is caused by a fixation that occurs when one does not progress beyond a certain emotional age due to getting the wrong signals and input from their maternal figure. Narcissistic abuse is different from other forms of abuse as it aims to deanimate the victim and reduce them to a manipulable object. Vaknin also shares his views on victimhood movements and the confusion between sexual identity, sexual orientation, and gender roles.
Why NPD and BPD are Perfect Match?
Narcissism and borderline personality disorder are a perfect match, despite the fact that the narcissist tends to devalue and discard their partner while the borderline has abandonment anxiety. The borderline needs a partner who will idealize them and reduce their abandonment anxiety, but then discard them when they feel suffocated. The only intimate partner who provides both functions reliably is the narcissist.
Oedipus, Electra Complexes Bed One Parent, Kill The Other
The Oedipal and Electra complexes are not about sexual attraction to parents, but rather about the child’s need to merge and fuse with the parent of the opposite sex. Until age three or four, children are pansexual and have no concept of sexual attraction or sex drive. The Oedipal complex is actually autoerotic and a manifestation of primary narcissism. The child falls in love with himself and redirects all these emotions and drives and urges at his mother because she’s part of him. The father has no place in this internal economy, and the child pushes him away because he’s unable to cope with external objects.
Sexual Identity Is Not Sexual Orientation
Sexual identity is different from sexual orientation. Sexual identity is how one perceives oneself sexually, while sexual orientation is about others and involves object relations. Sexual identity is formed in five stages: introjection, emulation, empathy, exploration, and sublimation. A disruption in any of these stages can lead to psychological problems and dysfunctions. Narcissists and borderlines are a perfect match because the borderline needs a partner who would at first idealize her and then discard her, and the narcissist needs to hoover and re-idealize their discarded partners.
Chance And Generational Trauma Pandemic Settles Nature Vs. Nature Debate
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses two new factors that influence who we become: chance or randomness and generational trauma. Recent research suggests that random molecular fluctuations in developing brain cells, especially in the womb, can influence the brain’s wiring and have lifelong consequences. Additionally, generational trauma, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have a significant impact on mental health and personality development. These factors are considered more important than the traditional nature versus nurture debate in determining our identities.
Is Your Pet Cat a Psychopath? (PURR, GASP!)
A recent study by researchers at the University of Liverpool has found that all cats have some level of psychopathy, with the reason being that in an ancestral environment that demanded self-sufficiency, wild cats that had higher levels of psychopathic traits may have been more successful in acquiring resources such as food, territory and mating opportunities. The study settled on the conclusion that all cats are psychopathic to some degree. The questions asked in the study are pretty generic, such as my cat demands attention, or my cat disobeys rules, or behaviors that are pretty standard for the species.