Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD): Overview and Issues
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses histrionic personality disorder, its comorbidity with other personality disorders, and the various adaptive solutions that collapsed histrionics and narcissists resort to when faced with deficient narcissistic supply. He also delves into the dynamics of histrionic women’s interactions with men and the conflicting inner voices they experience.
Why Narcissists Commit Suicide? To Be Great Again!
Narcissistic personality disorder is associated with a high risk of suicide, especially during narcissistic mortification. Suicide in narcissists is not driven by depression, but rather by a desire to restore a sense of grandiosity and control. Suicidal ideation in narcissism is suffused with grandiosity and reflects an underlying cognitive distortion. The characteristics of suicidal behaviors in narcissistic personality disorder include perfectionism, lack of self-disclosure, dissociation, body hatred, and inconsistent self-representation. Suicidal ideation in narcissists is a form of acting out and a way to assert control over themselves and others.
Self Supplying Narcissist Miracle Cure
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the use of self-supply as a therapeutic strategy for narcissists, arguing that it is superior to current treatment modalities. He explains that self-supply involves the narcissist becoming their own exclusive source of narcissistic supply, leading to reduced anxiety and depression, stabilization of self-worth, and the potential for healing and integration. Vaknin emphasizes the need for mental health practitioners to transition from manipulative dependency on external supply to teaching narcissists to rely on self-supply, ultimately leading to better social behavior and a sense of secure base.
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.
How Narcissist, Borderline Overperceives YOU (and Reality)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of overperception, a cognitive bias where individuals exaggerate or misperceive the intentions, emotions, and behaviors of others. He provides examples of overperception in various mental illnesses, such as narcissism, borderline personality disorder, and paranoia. Vaknin also explores the evolutionary basis and adaptive value of cognitive biases, as well as their impact on decision-making and emotional regulation. He emphasizes the role of cognitive distortions in shaping individuals’ perceptions and internal states, and discusses the implications for therapeutic interventions.
ChatGPT: Grandiose Pathological Liar (aka Psychopath), Confabulator (aka Narcissist)
Professor Sam Vaknin conducted a test with ChatGPT, an AI chat agent, asking 55 factual questions about himself. He found that ChatGPT provided 6 correct answers, 12 partially correct answers, and 37 disastrously wrong answers. Vaknin argues that ChatGPT’s responses are filled with fabrications and false information, presenting them as authoritative and factual. He accuses ChatGPT of manipulating users and misleading them, and calls for its removal from search engines due to its high rate of incorrect answers.
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.