Narcissist’s Affair with Death Drive (Destrudo, Mortido)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of the death drive, its origins in Freud’s work, and its impact on individuals, particularly those who have experienced trauma and abuse. He delves into various psychological perspectives and theories related to the death drive, emphasizing its connection to early childhood experiences and the role of the mother in shaping an individual’s relationship with death.
CPTSD or Personality Disorder? (Compilation)
Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of late-onset trauma and its potential to cause enduring personality changes that could be classified as personality disorders. He explains that while early childhood trauma is often linked to the development of personality disorders, catastrophic events experienced in adulthood can also lead to significant and lasting changes in personality. Vaknin argues that the diagnosis of Enduring Personality Changes After Catastrophic Experience (EPCACE), which was included in the ICD-10 but removed in the ICD-11, should be restored as it captures the unique and severe impact of adult trauma on personality. He emphasizes that EPCACE is distinct from PTSD and CPTSD, as it involves stable changes in personality resulting from extreme events such as torture, life threats, or prolonged captivity. Vaknin also critiques the current diagnostic approach that lumps various trauma-related disorders into a single category, suggesting that this leads to a lack of specificity and fails to account for the diverse ways individuals react to trauma.
What Your Ego Does for You in Daily Life, Narcissism (Compilation)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of ego functions and their role in narcissism. He explains that the ego is a Freudian construct responsible for interfacing with reality and preventing impulsive, id-driven actions. The ego’s main functions include reality testing, impulse control, regulation of affect, judgment, object relations, thinking, and defenses. Vaknin argues that narcissists lack a fully formed ego, leading them to outsource ego functions and rely on others. He also suggests that the ego’s role is to decathect, or withdraw emotional investment from objects, to maintain an objective view of reality. Reality testing, a key ego function, is the ability to distinguish internal thoughts and fantasies from external reality. Vaknin critiques Freud’s evolving theories on reality testing and emphasizes the importance of cognition in regulating behavior and maintaining self-awareness. He concludes that narcissists not only lack a coherent ego or self but also suffer from a cognitive deficit, leaving them with a distorted perception of reality and themselves.
Narcissist When Reality Is Just A Dream
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the functions of the ego, including reality testing and impulse control. He delves into the concept of emotional investment and its impact on reality testing, as well as the role of the ego in preventing regression. He also explores the relationship between reality testing and mental health conditions, such as psychosis and narcissism, and the impact of cognitive distortions on perception.
3 Ways To Navigate Your Life Via Spaces: Temporal, Imaginary, Social, Physical
The hippocampus is responsible for long-term memory, spatial perception, and social functioning. Recent studies have shown that it plays a crucial role in navigating social spaces and even music. The hippocampus is also involved in path integration, which involves keeping track of every stage of a journey to compute one’s location. Additionally, the hippocampus encodes both time and distance, organizing physical and abstract spaces. The disruption of the ability to generate internal maps and spaces can lead to mental health disorders, such as narcissism.
Victim’s Cruel Choice: Fantasy, No Reality (with Therapist Michele Paradise) (Starts 17:42)
Professor Sam Vaknin is an expert on narcissism and narcissistic abuse. He authored the book “Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited” and is considered a pioneer in the field of narcissistic abuse, having established the first website and support groups on the topic. He is a professor of psychology and has taught at various institutions. Vaknin himself was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and has studied the condition extensively. He emphasizes the importance of no contact with narcissists and the detrimental effects they have on those around them. Vaknin also discusses the difficulty in diagnosing narcissism and the need to observe the impacts on the narcissist’s close contacts. He advocates for facing reality, even if it involves grief, as a foundation for mental health.
Is Personal Growth Always Positive? (with Clinical Psychologist Daria Zukowska)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of personal growth and development, emphasizing its cultural and psychological aspects. He delves into the theories of Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Clayton Alderfer, highlighting the cultural determinants of growth and the cyclical nature of the process. Vaknin also challenges the notion of a unitary, integrated self, advocating for a more fragmented and dynamic understanding of human identity. He touches on the role of therapy in integrating fragmented aspects of the self.
How Narcissism Makes Sense to Narcissist (with Enkhbayar Jargalsaikhan and Lidija Rangelovska)
The transcript is a conversation between the interviewee and Professor Sam Vaknin and his partner Lydia Rangelovska. They discuss Vaknin’s book “Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited,” the concept of narcissism, its impact on individuals and society, and the global movement of narcissistic abuse awareness that originated from their work. They also touch upon the importance of language in understanding and coping with narcissism, the differences between healthy and pathological narcissism, and the role of education in addressing narcissistic behaviors. Additionally, they explore the personal dynamics of living with a narcissist and the potential for healing from narcissistic abuse.
How Narcissist LOVES YOU To ( YOUR) DEATH!
The concept of libido has evolved from being narrowly sexual to encompassing all expressions of love, pleasure, and self-preservation. In psychoanalytic theory, libido is the psychic energy of the life instinct, especially the sexual instinct. Healthy, normal human beings love others through the life instinct, while narcissists love through the death instinct, seeking to control and disable their love objects. Narcissists are incapable of true love due to their lack of a fully formed ego and inability to access positive emotions. Love involves passion, intimacy, and commitment, and is a complex state with various forms and scales. Freud and Jung both believed in psychic energy, with Freud suggesting that it is directed at finding pleasure and Jung emphasizing its role in the development of personality and expression of cultural and spiritual values.
Protecting Us From Ourselves Defense Mechanisms
Insight from psychoanalysis suggests that we are our own worst enemies due to our capacity for self-deceit. Defense mechanisms are widely thought to be the main instruments of self-deceit, and they serve to separate internal reality from external reality in order to reduce anxiety. These defenses can be successful or unsuccessful, and they play a role in normal psychic structure formation. Additionally, there are various types of defenses, and they can evolve and transform as the ego matures.