Before Therapy: Hack Your Mind to Heal, Succeed
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses 20 psychological hacks for healing and success, based on cutting-edge research. He explains that memory is not about recalling events, but rather about recalling emotions and reactions. He also discusses the impact of social rejection on the brain, the benefits of thinking in a foreign language, the Kruger effect, the influence of music on mood and decision-making, the benefits of singing, the genetic basis of negativity, the intelligence of sarcastic people, the importance of sunlight, the role of dopamine in addiction, the significance of sleep, the impact of line length on reading speed, and the connection between mental and physical health. Vaknin emphasizes the importance of self-help and self-therapy before seeking professional help.
Will AI Kill Us All? Future with Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has been a concept throughout human history, with automatons and cults being examples. It is the belief that intelligence is the result of creation and behavior. However, AI displays behaviors that cannot be traced back to programming, and it makes its own decisions, leading to a lack of control. AI also generates narratives and imposes them on human beings, creating an alternative virtual reality. The lecture also discusses the transition from an attention economy to a reality manipulative economy, where reality is controlled and sold back to individuals. The democratization of power and the rise of malignant egalitarianism are also mentioned, with AI empowering narcissism and creating a world of gods.
Future is Networking, Hierarchies Dead (Seminar in Skopje, North Macedonia)
Professor Sam Vaknin’s lecture covered the following key points: 1. Networks are fundamentally different from hierarchies, with their own characteristics and life cycles. 2. The study of networks has advanced significantly in the past two decades, largely due to the proliferation of computer networks. 3. Networks organize people based on time rather than space, with early participants often reaping the most benefits. 4. Information and power in networks flow horizontally, as opposed to the vertical flow in hierarchies. 5. Networks empower individuals and are constructed on equipotence, while hierarchies disempower and are built on impotence. 6. Networks are more susceptible to external shocks due to their homophilic nature, which can lead to a lack of diversity and resilience. 7. The life cycle of networks includes a mimetic phase (introduction of ideas), an externality phase (network growth and benefits), and potentially a decay phase if the network fails to innovate or maintain internal value. 8. Networks that are self-contained and provide comprehensive value to their members are more likely to succeed and grow. 9. Weak ties within networks, individuals with loose connections to many groups, are crucial for the dissemination of information and innovation. 10. The future of networks likely involves multiplex (multiple types of connections), multimodal (various roles for participants), and multilevel (hierarchical structures) characteristics.
Why Narcissist Rewrites History (Recency Bias)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the cognitive distortion of grandiosity in narcissists, which leads them to believe they are god-like entities. He explains how grandiosity is a way for narcissists to falsify reality and compensate for their fragile state of mind. Vaknin also delves into other cognitive biases such as recency bias, anchoring effect, recency illusion, and serial position effect, and how they manifest in narcissistic behavior. He emphasizes that narcissists’ distorted perception of reality and time leads to a false self-narrative, making it impossible to expect veracity from them.
Decathexis: When YOU are No Longer Useful (Psychopath’s, Narcissist’s Transactional Relationships)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the predictability of narcissistic behavior and provides two rules to understand and predict their actions: optimized allocation of resources and resentment when forced to act. He explains that narcissists view relationships as transactions and are only interested in others if they can provide something of value. Once the utility of a person is over, the narcissist abruptly drops them. This transactional approach to relationships and the lack of emotional investment makes narcissists and psychopaths unpredictable and unreliable partners.
Malignant Covert Narcissist Becomes Primary Psychopath to Compensate for Collapse
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the concept of malignant covert narcissism, a compensatory state that arises from the collapse of overt narcissism. He explains that covert narcissists develop a second layer of compensation, which is the malignancy, to counteract their feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. This malignancy is characterized by psychopathy, sadism, and auto-erotism, and it is more pronounced in covert narcissism than in overt narcissism. Vaknin suggests that malignant covert narcissism may be more common than previously thought and poses a greater danger to society due to its covert and invasive nature.
We are Rich People’s Slaves, Neo-feudalism (Euro College, North Macedonia)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the problematic nature of capitalism, which has been recognized for over a thousand years. He argues that capitalism is inherently anti-social institutions and that it is a zero-sum game, benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor. Vaknin predicts a future of neo-feudalism, characterized by low social mobility, hereditary wealth, and the dominance of politics over economics. He also suggests that the rich, despite not coordinating their actions, will act in a concerted fashion to maintain their wealth and power.
Psychopath’s “Karma” Confirmed in Study (Patrick’s Triarchic Model, Hyperarousal)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the link between psychopathy and anxiety, emphasizing that psychopathy is a condition of hyperarousal and overreactivity to anxiety and fear. He introduces a recent study on the personal cost of psychopathy, which examines the impacts of psychopathic traits on internalizing and life satisfaction. The study finds that disinhibition is the most impairing trait, while boldness varies in its effects and meanness is primarily related to interpersonal difficulties. Vaknin highlights the complexity and nuance of psychopathy, challenging the notion of psychopaths as purely bad and emphasizing the need for further research and understanding of the condition.
Complexes: Your Shadow’s Double Bind (Internal Rhetoric)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the constant dialogue and conflict within the psyche, leading to a state of double bind. He explains the concepts of complexes and shadow in Jung’s work, emphasizing their role as organizing principles in the inner psyche. Vaknin delves into the nature of double bind, the conditions for its existence, and its impact on mental health. He also explores the relationship between complexes, archetypes, and the unconscious, highlighting their influence on memory, identity, and behavior. Vaknin concludes by proposing that the psyche is in a constant state of dialogue and conflict, leading to the emergence of specific complexes.
Bleeding Edge Narcissism Info – see DESCRIPTION (With Conor Ryan, Eyes Wide Open)
In this lecture, Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the complexities of pathological narcissism, including the debate over what constitutes a narcissist and the differences between overt and covert narcissism. He emphasizes the importance of reconciling the views of clinicians and theoreticians and highlights the fluidity and complexity of personality disorders. Vaknin also addresses the contagious nature of narcissism and the challenges of managing and healing from narcissistic abuse. He provides insights into the body language and manipulative tactics of narcissists and offers strategies for dealing with them. Additionally, he delves into the ethical considerations of victimhood and the potential for change in narcissistic individuals.