Pandemics: COVID-19 and Life’s Meaninglessness (also in Abusive Relationships)
In this lecture, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses two pandemics: COVID-19 and the meaninglessness of life in abusive relationships. He argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is not growing exponentially, but rather in a linear progression, and that the pandemic is largely over. Vaknin also discusses the importance of meaningful interpersonal relationships and how narcissists, psychopaths, histrionics, and borderlines are incapable of having such connections. In abusive relationships, the abuser controls their victim by rendering their life meaningless and inconsequential, leading to self-destructive behavior and trauma for the victim.
Neglected Dimensions of Personality (Lecture for Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the second year of personality theory and its relation to identity. He emphasizes the importance of considering culture and society in understanding mental health disorders, which are highly culture-bound. He also discusses the concept of psychosis and how it challenges the distinction between internal and external reality. Additionally, he argues that the delusion of identity and personality is a confabulation created by the brain to survive, and that psychology has made the mistake of assuming the existence of the individual. He raises questions about the medicalization of psychology and the relationship between the brain and the mind.
How Technology Killed Empathy
Modern technology has had a devastating effect on empathy, which is the foundation of both altruism and collaboration. The emergence of modern technology has rendered empathy a tedious nuisance best avoided. With the introduction of modern, fast transportation and telecommunication, it was no longer possible to confine the members of the family to the household, to the village, or even to the neighborhood. Gradually we are being denied the opportunity to flex our empathy muscles and thus we empathize less and less.