Tag: Narcissism

Borderline: Narcissist’s Mirror (and Avoidant Personality Disorder)

In this video, the speaker explored the psychodynamic relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), proposing that BPD is a mirror image of narcissism, with distinct but parallel mechanisms of control and anxiety relating to presence and absence in relationships. The discussion included differences in how both disorders manage intimacy, separation, and devaluation, as well as their avoidant and schizoid phases, contrasted with avoidant personality disorder (AvPD), which shares some symptoms but differs fundamentally in causes and behavioral responses. The speaker also illustrated avoidant personality disorder with a clinical example, emphasizing its common misdiagnosis due to overlapping traits with BPD and NPD despite distinct psychodynamic foundations.

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Autists Lack Empathy, “Empaths” Deceive, Manipulate

In this video, the speaker presented evidence from recent studies showing that children with autism spectrum disorder exhibit deficits in empathy and self-conscious emotions such as guilt and shame, likening these traits to those found in narcissists and psychopaths. The discussion also highlighted that so-called empaths are often narcissists or psychopaths who manipulate others through deceptive signaling of high sensitivity as a strategy to gain sympathy or control. Overall, the speaker emphasized the complex interplay between neurodevelopmental and personality disorders, challenging common perceptions about empathy and victimhood. Autists Lack Empathy, “Empaths” Deceive, Manipulate

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Overt+Covert Narcissist in One Person: Self-supply (44:17), Binary Narcissism

The speaker discusses the concept of a system of residuals in narcissism, where two distinct narcissistic self-states—overt and covert—can coexist simultaneously within one individual, leading to internal conflict and dissonance. This binary system arises when neither state is effective alone, resulting in self-supply dynamics through mutual hostility and fantasy defenses. The speaker suggests that this state, while challenging, presents a unique therapeutic opportunity to induce vulnerability and promote healing through educational and empathetic interventions. Overt+Covert Narcissist in One Person: Self-supply (44:17), Binary Narcissism

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(GERMAN) Do Social Media Trigger Narcissism? (Südwestrundfunk SWR.de)

In der Besprechung wurde das Thema der narzisstischen Auswirkungen sozialer Medien auf Jugendliche diskutiert, insbesondere wie Plattformen wie Instagram und TikTok Selbstbezogenheit und Isolation fördern. Psychologen betonten, dass die ständige Suche nach Aufmerksamkeit und Likes ein fragiles Selbstbild kaschiert und dass soziale Medien menschliche Nähe und reale Beziehungen gefährden. Es wurde empfohlen, sich bewusst mit den eigenen Werten und Zielen auseinanderzusetzen, um der Oberflächlichkeit und Suchtpotenzial entgegenzuwirken. (GERMAN) Do Social Media Trigger Narcissism? (Südwestrundfunk SWR.de)

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Serial idealizers, Anxious People-pleasers, Addicts: NOT Narcissists

In this lecture, the speaker, Sam Dagny, explores misunderstood behaviors often mistaken for pathological narcissism, focusing on serial idealizers, anxious people pleasers, addicts, and individuals with borderline personality disorder. He differentiates these groups by highlighting their unique psychodynamic processes, such as the serial idealizers’ rapid fantasy creation, people pleasers’ anxiety-driven boundarylessness, addicts’ denial of control, and borderlines’ fear of abandonment and engulfment. The talk emphasizes that grandiosity, while common in narcissism, also appears in various other mental health disorders, cautioning against conflating grandiosity with narcissism itself.

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Querying the Enemy: Hurt People Question Narcissism’s Aftermath (Q&A Skopje Seminar, 2025)

In the seminar, Professor Sam Vaknin discussed the dynamics of narcissistic families, explaining concepts like projective splitting, the roles of scapegoat and golden child, and the conditional nature of love in narcissistic relationships. He emphasized the difficulty in recognizing narcissists due to cognitive dissonance, the contagious nature of narcissism, and distinctions between narcissistic traits and clinical narcissism. The session also touched on complex issues such as shared fantasies in relationships, the rare clinical diagnosis of narcissism compared to narcissistic traits, and the unique sexual dynamics in narcissists. Querying the Enemy: Hurt People Question Narcissism’s Aftermath (Q&A Skopje Seminar, 2025)

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Narcissistic Ideas of Progress: Our Dystopian Future (with Ginger Coy)

In this in-depth discussion, Sam Ving and Ginger Koy explore the pervasive influence of narcissism and psychopathy in global leadership, highlighting the inevitable self-destructive nature of such figures like Trump, and the broader clash between Renaissance and Enlightenment values shaping today’s sociopolitical landscape. They argue that universal franchise democracy is flawed, advocating for a pragmatic acceptance of narcissism and victimhood as societal forces while warning of a potential shift towards autocracy and totalitarianism, with Islam emerging as a significant ideological influence. The conversation also critiques technological impacts on social isolation, the failure of the Enlightenment project, and emphasizes the need to confront harsh realities rather than rely on fantasies or simplistic moral judgments. Narcissistic Ideas.

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Impotent Sexual Narcissist: Erectile Dysfunction, Premature Ejaculation

The video is focused on the complex relationship between narcissism, particularly covert narcissism, and sexual dysfunction, emphasizing psychological factors such as intimacy fears, autoerotism, and the challenge to the narcissist’s grandiose self-concept. Research findings were discussed highlighting that narcissistic traits and psychopathy correlate positively with erectile dysfunction, while Machiavellianism and high sexual self-efficacy may have protective effects. Additionally, the impact of personality disorders on sexual dysfunction in chronic pain patients was reviewed, underscoring the importance of addressing underlying psychological issues for effective treatment.

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Narcissist’s Relationship Cycle Decoded and What To Do About It – Part 1 of 3

In this seminar, Sam Vaknin explored the complex psychology of pathological narcissism, explaining it as a result of childhood trauma and arrested development, characterized by repetition compulsion, emotional dysregulation, and a pervasive self-loathing. He detailed the cyclical nature of relationships with narcissists, including love bombing, idealization, devaluation, and discard, emphasizing the narcissist’s unconscious attempt to resolve early maternal conflicts through intimate partners. Vaknin highlighted that narcissists, lacking true self-love and stable identity, use their partners to fulfill unmet developmental needs, ultimately leading to a toxic dynamic where separation and individuation can only occur through devaluation and discard.

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Human Mind

LECTURE Extremes of the Human Mind: The Most Terrifying Place of All (MIT University, Skopje)

The meeting explored diverse psychological phenomena, highlighting the impact of cultural context on mental health diagnoses and treatment, and discussed rare disorders that challenge conventional understandings of reality. It examined the nature of empathy, solipsism, and the human mind, contrasting genuine human experience with artificial intelligence and psychopathy, emphasizing the limitations and philosophical challenges within modern psychology. The speaker critiqued contemporary psychology’s reliance on quantifiable methods and machines, advocating for a return to philosophical rigor and a deeper focus on the human mind as central to psychological study.

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