Narcissist Swindler Wants Your MIND, Not (Only) Your Money or Body
This conversation between journalist Eve Tawfik and Dr. Sam Vaknin explores how narcissistic con artists don’t just target victims for money—they seek emotional control, admiration, and psychological dominance. Vaknin explains that financial fraud often mimics romantic seduction, where the scammer offers love, trust, or belonging in exchange for loyalty and resources. These individuals, often narcissistic or psychopathic, manipulate through either grandiose confidence or performative victimhood, creating a powerful emotional bond with their targets.
The key insight is that scams are rarely just about money—they’re about need. Whether the scammer says “you need me” or “I need you,” it’s a manipulation tactic rooted in shared fantasy and emotional dependency. Vaknin emphasizes that the real red flag in any relationship is the presence of neediness, which should prompt immediate caution or disengagement.
Haunted: AI Inside My Mind
Narcissists experience a profound need for narcissistic supply, which is essential for their self-worth and identity; without it, they face disintegration akin to drug withdrawal. They often view themselves as machines, measuring their worth through performance and efficiency, while simultaneously feeling superior to those who express emotions. This detachment from reality leads to a life filled with grandiose fantasies and a disdain for routine, as they seek constant stimulation and validation from others. Ultimately, their inability to mature emotionally results in a cycle of alienation and self-inflicted isolation, leaving them feeling like a “sickly bird” that others instinctively avoid.
Abandon Narcissist’s “Inner Child” Before it KILLS YOU! (Developmental Delay, Age, Amnesia)
The narcissist employs childlike behavior to attract and manipulate others, creating an illusion of vulnerability that elicits protective instincts. This strategy fosters a shared fantasy where both the narcissist and their partner regress to a childlike state, complicating the ability to leave the relationship due to feelings of guilt and responsibility. Despite the appearance of an inner child, the narcissist lacks a true self, as their emotional development is severely stunted and they are incapable of positive emotions. Ultimately, the perceived inner child is a facade, masking a profound emptiness and a history of trauma that has left the narcissist psychologically damaged.
Great Reset: True Healing Only After Hitting Rock Bottom (with Vera Faria Leal)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlighting its historical, religious, and economic dimensions. He emphasizes the intractability of the conflict and the lack of compromise due to the intertwining of religious, nationalistic, and economic factors. Vaknin also delves into the psychological underpinnings of the conflict, discussing narcissism, victimhood, and the need for a collective crucifixion or apocalypse to bring about transformation. He stresses the importance of philosophers, psychoanalysts, and psychologists in the negotiation process and advocates for a shift towards communitarianism as a potential solution.
How Narcissists, Psychopaths Shot Themselves in the Foot (Ecosystem, Predator-Prey, Victimhood)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the evolution of narcissists and psychopaths in targeting victims and how they have adapted their strategies to the changing times. He explains how the growing awareness of narcissistic abuse has made it more difficult for predators to find victims, leading them to transition from hunting individuals to targeting groups and reshaping society to create an environment conducive to their behavior. This has resulted in a binary ecosystem where individuals are forced to choose between being predators or prey, leading to the rise of victimhood movements and paranoia. However, this has also created an imbalance between the number of predators and prey, as well as a situation where victims seek out abusers, ultimately backfiring on the narcissists and psychopaths.
Why You Buy Into Narcissist’s Simulated Existence
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the nature of narcissists, likening them to computer programs or artificial intelligence. He explains that the narcissist’s ability to mimic human behavior does not make them truly human, and they lack empathy and positive emotions. Vaknin describes how narcissists manipulate and deceive others by triggering internal processes, reorganizing their minds, and using attribution errors. He attributes the narcissist’s behavior to early childhood abuse and trauma, suggesting that they are the product of their environment and genetic predisposition.
Narcissist Female Bosses Outbest Male Narcissist CEOs
In this lecture, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the prevalence of narcissism in corporate leadership, particularly focusing on the performance of narcissistic female chief executive officers. He highlights a study that suggests narcissistic female CEOs outperform their male counterparts and that their narcissism is associated with improved company performance. The study also suggests that female CEOs are able to suppress the dark side of narcissism and leverage traits such as empathy and networking, leading to superior corporate outcomes. Additionally, the lecture touches on the impact of narcissistic tendencies of chief financial officers on corporate digital transformation, suggesting that narcissism in upper management may be a beneficial corporate asset.
Privatized Empathy and Cowardly Public “Intellectuals”
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the decline of empathy in society, particularly among public intellectuals who prioritize self-interest, power, and manipulation over compassion and care for others. He identifies four groups of intellectuals in Macedonia, including the fearful, the self-interested, the territorial, and the malignantly romantic. He attributes the behavior of intellectuals in the Balkans, including Macedonia, to the influence of Marxism, socialism, and communism, which redefined the role of intellectuals as leaders and co-opted them into the power machine. Ultimately, he argues that intellectuals in Macedonia have betrayed their role in invigorating the nation and integrating society and culture into global trends.
NO WIN: Narcissist Sees Himself in You (Projective Resonance)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the intense bond and attachment that forms between individuals and narcissists. He explains that this bond is driven by five mechanisms: a common background of adverse childhood experiences, the “Hall of Mirrors” effect where the narcissist idealizes the individual, trauma bonding, the shared fantasy, and projective resonance. Projective resonance is when the narcissist sees himself in the individual, leading to either a reminder of his true self or a challenge to his false self. This bond is pathological and leads to a coercive control dynamic, where the individual becomes dependent on the narcissist, while the narcissist becomes resentful and seeks to separate.
Helicopter, Bad Parenting Foster Narcissism Pandemic (with Conor Ryan, Eyes Wide Open, EXCERPT)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the increasing prevalence of narcissism in society, fueled by societal messages and parenting practices that promote self-centeredness and grandiosity. He explains the detrimental effects of narcissism on individuals and institutions, and the impact on the formation of a healthy self. Vaknin also highlights the abusive nature of overindulgent and controlling parenting, and the collusion between modern education and parenting in fostering a fantasy bubble for children. He emphasizes the importance of allowing children to experience suffering and challenges for their personal development, and the need for clinical and therapeutic interventions to address narcissistic behaviors.