Women Narcissistically Mortified More than Men: Mortification not Injury (with Daria Zukowska)
Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of narcissistic mortification, distinguishing it from narcissistic injury, wound, and scar. He explains the process and its effects on narcissists, including self-awareness and suicidal ideation. Vaknin also addresses the potential coping mechanisms and the association of shame with narcissism.
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.
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.
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.
How Mentally Ill Cope With Anxiety
Anxiety is an irrational fear that can be exogenic (from the outside) or endogenic (from internal processes). Mentally ill people cope with anxiety in five ways: externalizing anxiety via aggression, conflating external and internal objects, reframing reality and impairing reality testing, reciprocal inhibition, and dissociation. These coping mechanisms can be seen in various personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, where dissociation is used to avoid unbearable anxiety. It is important to consult a licensed therapist or psychologist if any of these coping mechanisms are identified in oneself.
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.
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.
Narcissist’s Romantic Jealousy as Negative Fantasy
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of positive and negative fantasies and their connection to romantic jealousy, control, and memory lapses. He explains that shame is a constant companion of narcissists and is generated by the gap between their ego ideal and reality. When this gap is too large, individuals may transition from a positive fantasy to a negative one, which is easier to actualize in reality. This can lead to romantic jealousy, coercion, and avoidance as strategies to modify reality or maintain the fantasy. These strategies can result in dissociation, memory gaps, and disturbed identity.
EPCACE: Between PTSD and CPTSD (Trauma in Adulthood, Late Onset)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the diagnosis of Enduring Personality Change After Catastrophe Experience (EPCACE) and its differentiation from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). He argues that EPCACE should not be subsumed under CPTSD, as the reactions to the diagnostic issues are not the same. He suggests that EPCACE should be reconceived with a set of diagnostic criteria that incorporate symptoms such as somatization, self-harm, and sexual dysfunction. He also believes that diagnoses such as masochistic personality disorder, sadistic personality disorder, and negativistic, passive-aggressive personality disorder should not have been eliminated.