Lovebombing: Infatuated with Your Idealized Image (EXCERPT)
Sam Vaknin explains that when someone falls in love with a narcissist, they are actually falling in love with an idealized version of themselves that the narcissist projects onto them. This can be the first time that someone experiences self-love. However, the narcissist is an entity of absence, and the person is essentially falling in love with themselves. Saying goodbye to a narcissist can be difficult because they have made the person infatuated with themselves through their eyes.
Why Won’t S/he Grow Up: Precocious Adulthood Syndrome (PrAS)
In this lecture, Professor Sam Vaknin proposes a new clinical entity called Precautious Adulthood Syndrome, or adultification, which is brought on by three vectors: chronic illness, sexual abuse in early childhood to early puberty, and parentifying or instrumentalizing the child. Adultification can lead to compensatory infantilism, known as the Peter Pan syndrome, coupled with imposter syndrome. Adultified children grow up feeling responsible for everyone around them, become control freaks, and are self-reliant. They trust no one and always get involved in conflicts as arbiters or peacemakers. Adultified children resemble borderlines in that they engage in compensatory behaviors that are not calibrated and not proportionate.
Relationship Obsessive–compulsive Disorder (ROCD): Tormenting Doubts re: Partners and Relationships
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD), a form of OCD that focuses on intimate relationships. ROCD can manifest in two ways: relationship-centered, where individuals obsess over their own feelings towards their partner and the rightness of the relationship, and partner-focused, where individuals obsess over their partner’s perceived flaws. ROCD can be debilitating and negatively impact relationships and overall life. Treatment for ROCD typically involves cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and, in some cases, medication.
Psychopathic, Covert Borderlines (Literature Review)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of covert borderline personality disorder and its distinctions from psychopathic and antisocial borderlines. He delves into the characteristics and behaviors of covert borderlines, including their self-states, emotional dysregulation, and interpersonal relationships. Vaknin also presents recent literature and research findings on the association between psychopathy and borderline personality disorder, as well as the challenges in mentalizing and transparency estimation in individuals with borderline features.
Your Narcissist: Madman or Genius? (Based on News Intervention Interview)
Narcissists often claim to be geniuses, but Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a serious mental health problem. It is difficult to tell the difference between a genius and a madman, but the scientific method can help by applying a test of falsifiability. Narcissists often make predictions that fail time and again, while geniuses’ predictions hold water for long stretches of time. Narcissism is a problem of nurture, a problem of the environment, and abuse and trauma suffered in early childhood.
Can You Mortify Borderline, Psychopath
In this video, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of narcissistic modification, which is the total disintegration of a narcissist’s defenses, including their false self. He explains that inducing mortification in a narcissist can be useful in preventing them from hoovering, but it is not recommended to modify a psychopath or borderline. He also clarifies the differences between narcissistic injury, wound, and scar, and how all three types of Cluster B personalities react with rage to narcissistic injury and mortification.
Why I Remain Silent on Depp-Heard Trial (Interview in Superinteressante Magazine in Brazil)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, stating that he will not comment on it as it is gossip and not academic. He criticizes mental health experts who have appeared on behalf of both parties, calling them unqualified. Vaknin then delves into the psychology of celebrity, explaining that celebrities fulfill emotional functions for fans, allowing them to indulge in wish fulfillment and daydreaming. However, when celebrities deviate from their prescribed roles, fans feel betrayed and humiliated, leading to a desire to punish and humiliate the celebrity.
Self-destructive Narcissists and Psychopaths
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses self-defeating and self-destructive behaviors, including life constriction, depression, emotional numbing, dissociation, masochism, and insecure attachment. He explores the connection between introversion and clinical depression, as well as the impact of trauma on personality disorders. Vaknin also delves into the behaviors of narcissists and the similarities between narcissism and masochism. He concludes by examining the rejection of life by narcissists and psychopaths, and the impact of upbringing and environment on self-punishment.
Thrive: Your Future Path to Growth and Change (News Intervention Interview)
In this video, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses personal growth, psychological development, and maturation. He talks about various directions in the future of psychology, neuroscience, and technology that will allow people to evolve much more rapidly and thrive in difficult environments. He also makes service announcements about advertising on his videos, his availability for counseling in Hungary in July, and his recent interview on psychological growth with News Intervention. Finally, he emphasizes the importance of self-love for lasting psychological growth and positive neurological change.
YOU=Your Relationships+Self-states (Turnu Severin Intl. Conference on Psychology)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the controversies in modern psychology, the concept of self, and the formation of self-states through dissociation in infancy. He explains that healthy individuals have adaptive self-states that change in reaction to the environment, while those with personality disorders have dysregulated self-states that are protected and complete. He also discusses the connection between internal and external objects in psychology and emphasizes the importance of defense mechanisms for the proper functioning of self-states. Finally, he mentions the importance of early intervention in diagnosing and treating mental illness in children and adolescents.