Post: #1

Sam Vaknin is a self described expert in narcissism, a pathological lack of empathy and constant childish yearning for attention (narcissistic supply) that I think many guys will recognize as a growing problem among many women and men alike. He wrote a book called "Malignant Self Love" and has a YouTube channel. I take a lot of the stuff he says with a grain of salt but some of the material here is interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLadFap...euTqc12avA

Post: #2

Experts on narcissism are practically guaranteed to be raging narcissists.

Post: #3

(05-05-2015 11:30 PM)Ensam Wrote:  Experts on narcissism are practically guaranteed to be raging narcissists.

He freely admits that he was/is, and was one of the few who attempted to obtain treatment.

Post: #4

(05-05-2015 11:30 PM)Ensam Wrote:  Experts on narcissism are practically guaranteed to be raging narcissists.

This only stands to validate him as an expert

Post: #5

"constant childish yearning for attention" -> "and has a YouTube channel"

Post: #6

This blew my mind.

Vaknin claims that social media is a zombie epidemic that has caused a sudden rise of suicide and homosexuality but a decline in heterosexual contact.

Post: #7

Trusting a narcissist to give you the real scoop on narcissists is like trusting a girl to tell you how to game her.

Still interesting though.

Post: #8

(11-28-2018 11:18 AM)debeguiled Wrote:  Trusting a narcissist to give you the real scoop on narcissists is like trusting a girl to tell you how to game her.

Still interesting though.

This is true, but to me this guy seems like the real deal. Maybe I'm naive, but his observations seem on point and explain a lot of what I see, both individually and socially.

He has a new series which seems promising, called "Narcisism: The New Faith". Here's the first video:





If there is a criticism I would make of his analysis is the lack of the supernatural/spiritual aspects. His basic claim in this new series is that Narcisism, worship of the self, is quickly becoming the new global religion, and it's a completely new phenomenon. Except, it isn't. Its widespread scope might be, aided by technological development, but the faith is as old as time. It's Luciferianism, pure and simple. God wants you to worship Him. Satan wants you to worship yourself.

His analysis would be complete if he incorporated this spiritual and moral aspect into his work. And it's not a far reach.

If one takes his list of classic narcissistic behaviors and the list St. Paul describes in Romans 1 as a result of conscious rejection of the knowledge of God, it's pretty much the same list. The language is different, but what it describes is the same. Vaknin states that because narcissists worship themselves (or rather, a false image of themselves as gods) they cannot really worship God. St. Paul states the same thing when he says they became "vain in their imaginations" and "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator".