In this video, Sam Vaknin discussed how drama functions as a dysfunctional coping mechanism to manage internal struggles like depression, dysphoria, and dysmeia by externalizing emotional conflict through dramatization. He explained that drama attracts attention, provides self-soothing, and serves as a displacement that allows individuals to enact forbidden or threatening feelings, which can temporarily alleviate internal distress. Vaknin also introduced the concept of “drama bonding,” a self-harming attachment formed through intense, unstable relationships driven by unmet needs for unconditional self-love and security. Don’t Use Drama to Offset Depression (Dysphoria, Dysthymia)