Sam Vaknin presented a theory of three trauma types—self-inflicted, reality-inflicted (growth-promoting), and parental (most damaging)—arguing mothers play a decisive role in shaping lifelong psychological development. He described childhood stages (birth as primary rejection, separation-individuation) and contrasted three narrative responses to the self/world split: psychotic (fusion/identity diffusion), narcissistic (deflationary world, inflated self), and a healthy “nothingness” narrative based on clear boundaries and a calibrated self. Vaknin linked cultural trends (materialism, technology, social media) to the rise of dead-object civilizations and a societal shift toward narcissistic narratives, warning this undermines empathy and long-term collective well-being. Dead Parents Clone Narcissists (and Codependents and Borderlines)