Sam Vaknin discusses the psychological patterns and clinical features common among damaged and broken individuals, emphasizing the impacts of trauma, mistrust, emotional detachment, and difficulties with intimacy and boundaries. He highlights defense mechanisms such as hypervigilance, emotional numbness, conflict avoidance, perfectionism, and the harsh inner critic, explaining how these behaviors serve as survival strategies but ultimately hinder healthy relationships. Vaknin encourages therapy and self-awareness to overcome these patterns, promoting the acceptance of inherent self-worth independent of achievements or others’ approval. 10 Signs: YOU are Broken, Damaged, Scarred