Tag: Gaslighting

Violent Innocence of Narcissist’s Victimhood (Passive-aggression)

In this video, Sam Vaknin discussed the concept of “violent innocence,” a psychological defense mechanism common in narcissists, where individuals cause harm while denying responsibility and insisting on their moral superiority. He explained how covert narcissists exhibit passive aggression through behaviors like gaslighting, procrastination, and performative compliance or obnoxiousness, all while maintaining a self-concept of being good and blameless. The discussion highlighted the harmful effects of violent innocence on victims and society, emphasizing narcissists’ denial, lack of self-awareness, and resistance to growth or accountability. Violent Innocence of Narcissist’s Victimhood (Passive-aggression)

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Why Do You Fall for Narcissist’s “Lies”, “Gaslighting”? (Hindsight Bias, Illusory Truth Effect)

In this video, Sam Vaknin explained that narcissists and borderline individuals often confabulate—unconsciously fabricating memories to fill gaps caused by dissociation—rather than intentionally lying or manipulating like psychopaths. Confabulations serve as a defensive mechanism to maintain a sense of personal identity and continuity, and both the confabulators and their listeners tend to believe these narratives due to cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and the illusory truth effect. The meeting emphasized the crucial distinction between confabulation as a non-malicious coping strategy and deliberate lies or gaslighting used by psychopaths for manipulative purposes. Why Do You Fall for Narcissist’s “Lies”, “Gaslighting”? (Hindsight Bias, Illusory Truth Effect)

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