Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or "I, Psychopath"?

Re: I, Psychopath

purplehaze said:
Dr. Hare and others respond to the film:
http://www.i-psychopath.com/?page_id=16

You can also leave your own response at the above link.

We hope more of Vaknin's groupies and those ascribing to his message boards see this and find better places to get support than this predator and his enforcers.

Thank you purplehaze for the links.
 
Re: I, Psychopath

Very interesting, indeed.
I wonder, why is a psychopath promoting himself, reveal himself, let the world know :
"Here I am I'm a psychopath, beware!"
Is he making any money with his published books and web-site? Otherwise why would he draw attention to himself?
I should find out...research on it. :/ Do my own search.
I recall psychopath's is only fear to people going to discover their true face.
He has free e-books on his web-site to download. Information's about narcissistic behavior narcissistic abuse, and so on.
Link: _http://samvak.tripod.com/freebooks.html#mentalhealth
It's puzzling :/

Why would a psychopath warning and teaching us about psychopathic and narcissistic behavior?
What is his agenda behind it?

I have to refer Laura's post on "Narcissist or Psychopath" thread:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=8381.0

He might wants more attention to himself with the movie, it is promotion for him.
 
Re: I, Psychopath

[quote author=Laura]More searching on "Sam Vaknin" turns up this on Sandra L. Brown's site:

Quote
http://howtospotadangerousman.blogspot.com/

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AN AUSTRALIAN TV PRODUCER:

* Are you or someone you know suffering from Narcissistic Personality
Disorder or Antisocial Personality Disorder (aka psychopathy)?

* Are you familiar with the work of Sam Vaknin - his
book/websites/online forums?

* How has Sam Vaknin affected your understanding of NPD and impacted on
your life?

We are making a documentary about Narcissistic Personality Disorder for
Australian, German and Canadian television. The documentary explores the
contribution made by Sam Vaknin through his book and his websites, and we
are looking for people whose life he has touched (positively or negatively)
to share their experiences with us.

At this stage we are seeking testimonials for research purposes but we are
also looking for contributions to be included in the documentary
(anonymously or otherwise).

Directed by Ian Walker, the film is being made in Australia by independent
production
company Magic Real Picture Company

Many thanks,
Danielle Brigham
Researcher, Magic Real Picture Company
danielle@magicreal.com.au
mrwalker@pacific.net.au
[/quote]
 
Re: I, Psychopath

anothermagyar said:
Very interesting, indeed.
I wonder, why is a psychopath promoting himself, reveal himself, let the world know :
"Here I am I'm a psychopath, beware!"
Is he making any money with his published books and web-site? Otherwise why would he draw attention to himself?
...
Why would a psychopath warning and teaching us about psychopathic and narcissistic behavior?
What is his agenda behind it?

Hi anothermagyar. I could be wrong, but I don't know that he has much choice. That's all he knows how to do. He wouldn't likely change his career to some honest, hard work. He's made a living 'embracing' his 'narcissism', been exposed as a psychopath, has little/no empathy for others, only shallow feelings, a willingness to publicly display emotional violence and probably a head full of knowledge on how to flim, flam and scam people for his living (Psychopathy has parasitism as one mode of the 'path of least resistance to effort').

Would you go to him for investment advice, knowing he doesn't give a hoot about you? Would you even want your family to get anywhere near him? I wouldn't, so how will he make a living?

I think he will simply have to continue to play things for all they're worth, as usual.


Here's a quote from the website you listed (emphasis mine) that may help to explain why people like S.V. need to be exposed, and watched/monitored. He will likely find a way to 'hook up' with people who can be convinced that he (S.V.) is needed for something.

[quote author=_http://howtospotadangerousman.blogspot.com/]

The religions of the world have discovered the insight that (non-pathological) human beings are designed for unlimited happiness, the enjoyment of truth, and love without end. This spiritual hunger is part of our nature as beings with a spiritual dimension. Here we are, with an unbounded desire for happiness and not the slightest idea of where to look for it."
[/quote]


Are you very familiar with psychopathy and the work thats been done to understand and expose it? If not, may I recommend the following:

Psychopaths in Sheep's Clothing
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/psychopaths_in_sheeps_clothing.htm

The Trick of the Psychopath's Trade: Make Us Believe that Evil Comes from Others
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/148141-The-Trick-of-the-Psychopath-s-Trade-Make-Us-Believe-that-Evil-Comes-from-Others

Word gets around: Twilight and the trick of the psychopaths
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/191213-Word-gets-around-Twilight-and-the-trick-of-the-psychopaths

Twilight of the Psychopaths
http://www.barrettforcongress.us/twilight.htm

The Mask of Sanity
http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/sanity_1.PdF


...some of the QFG's Studies in Psychopathy:

The Psychopath: The Mask of Sanity Special Research by Quantum Future School
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/psychopath.htm

Discussion of Psychopathy Traits From The Mask of Sanity by Hervey Cleckley
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/cleckley-mos.htm

A Basic Hypothesis of Psychopathy From The Mask of Sanity by Hervey Cleckley
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/cleckley-mos-2.htm

Political Ponerology: A Science on The Nature of Evil adjusted for Political Purposes by Laura Knight-Jadczyk
http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/political_ponerology_lobaczewski.htm

Official Culture - A Natural State of Psychopathy? by Laura Knight-Jadczyk
http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/official_culture.htm

The Inner Landscape of the Psychopath - Hervey Cleckley
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/innerpsycho.htm

"Stanley," a chapter from Hervey M. Cleckley's classic study of psychopaths, The Mask of Sanity
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/cleckley.pdf

How Psychopaths View Their World
http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/psychopath3.htm
 
Re: I, Psychopath

Hi, Buddy,

Thank you so much for your reply, I really appreciate it! :)
I have to read still a lot more, I know, even from "the big five" books I read already four.
But I also learn a lot from you guys, reading threads, like this.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

There was some discussion in May of 2008 about mischief and malice from these "N" playgrounds, and I wanted to warn others of what happened to me recently at the Chopra discussion message boards.

I have had a nickname there for years, but rarely posted, and only to a couple of people. They were always fighting, silliness that distracted from the boards expressed intention of philosphical discussion. There are about 5 people that dominate the forum, posting in every thread, and have gotten people with opinions different than theirs banned. I just watched for a couple of people, because I liked reading their musings. One of the Big5, (I'll call them that) started warning me about posting to one person because she was in the middle of a fracas she had started with him. I wouldn't back down, telling her that I didn't care if they were arguing, etc. Bottom line, I wouldn't back down.

I started talking about music to one poster. It turns out he was one of those who had been banned in a big blow out a couple of years ago, and was back under a different name. We started emailing each other and cautioning me, he told me what had happened at that site several years ago. Those 5 at that site are hackers. Pretty good ones, obviously. His pc was attacked twice in a short time, and so were those of the posters that protested his being banned. There are some pretty nasty fights at this philosophy forum and it's always the Big 5 that deliver the lowest blows. Two of these are wannabe musicians, two call themselves writers, and one is just bipolar and bored and mean.

One woman was harassed to the point of having info she shared used to contact her abusive ex-husband to let him know of her whereabouts. She died in a fire in her home. I'm using a loaner laptop right now. On the same day he emailed me about all that had happened, not long after I couldn't connect to the internet.

Site admin does not seem to care, despite a dwindling population at the site. Even when warned that info was being turned over to authorities, there was no response, not even an auto-response.

I haven't posted at that site since learning all this. There's not that much philosophical discussion going on anyway. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. It's ok to log in and read, just be careful what you post.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

It's also very common for Cyberpaths, Narcissists and Psychopaths to cyberstalk their exes.

Beckstead and Capers (see our sitehttp://cyberpaths.blogspot.com) are still doing this to their exes and anyone they think exposed them and threatening them.

Yidwithlid (also on our site - see link above) went to Vaknin's sites, where one of his victims originally went after finding him out, copied all her posts and then put her name, address & phone on PORN SITES along with pictures of her children... the police had to get involved.

These crazies will follow you all over the net... they believe they are all-powerful and invisible behind a keyboard
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."
~ Bryant H. McGill

I had given the internet up for a while, working me and my life.

A couple weeks ago at work, I ran into someone who is friends with my sister. I was nice to this person, said hello to her but did not want to get into a deep discusion with this person, as I said goodbye to this person they said to me "Your nieces wedding was beautiful". I have decided to take time away from my family, abuse and dysfunctional patterns is all they know. I can not help them, they choose to live with abuse and denial. I said to this person, "I am happy for my niece"

But when I left I became angry, this guy my niece married was an abuser, the man put her head through a wall, before I broke contact with my family I tried gentely guding my nieces and nephews but the cycle of abuse can have a strong hold on people. I was angry at my mother and my sisters, they know how to break this cycle but they just will not do it, they just let go on and on.

Even though I was angry and rightly so for my niece, as I let my feelings flow I also understood I was angry for myself, this was a trigger, I was angry because my mother continued the abuse onto me and conditioned me that I was not worthy or lovable and I married an abuser.

I have held onto that anger because that is what I was conditioned to be LOVE, anger and abuse were LOVE. I truly believe things come to you that you need, they may hurt at the time, they maybe devasting, but they are there to show you something, maybe that you are worthy and lovable but you did not realize it or maybe to show you compassion or to show you patience.

I understand the message of this post that even though we are all individuals we are all ONE, that we must look out for each other. I believe the things we do effect others, I also believe that we all mirror each other, as humans we project onto each other and we get triggered by others.

We all have situations in our life, where something has triggered us whether it be good or not so good memories. The reason for my post is that for so long I have held onto anger, my anger for being abused and it is time to let go. I have tried for so long to let go, to forgive, nothing was working. Now as I step back, for ME this what I feel, I feel that the situations that happen on SV's forums where presented to me as an opportunity to forgive.

There was a large amount of projection going on between all involved, including me. When you have parties that have abuse in their background, forgiveness is tough and so is trust especially when you are abused by your parents, the people who are supposed to love and protect you, if your parents abuse you well then, everyone else in the world will.

Keep in mind that one of you has been brought into the others life as a learning experience. Continue to project loving thoughts onto the other person. Sooner or later, whoever the lesson is for and what the lesson is will manaifest~Doreen Virtue, PH. D

I feel that there were many lessons with my encounters on SV's forums and 2 of them are compassion and forgiveness. For the longest time I was angry with my mother for abusing me, then I was angry at my mother and my family for continuing the cycle of abuse. I stated above that my family knows how to break the cycle of abuse, they really do, yet knowledge is only the beginning of the process, they pull back into dysfunctional patterns when that is all you know is hell, it takes patience, lots of self love(and how do you do that when you had none in the beginning?), for some it means being totally alone, that is scarey as hell. Sometimes that if you can't beat them, join them, well it does happen, abuse does that to you, it breaks a person. I have choosen not to be broken, I have tetter back and forth a few times, but I know I am worth more than abuse, I choose not not hold onto to anger, to hurt, to shame to blame.

To all that were involved, I forgive you and I forgive myself...I send love.

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. "
~ Paul Boese
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

Ran into Schmuel while in Psy.D. school looking for the usual suspects on the topic. He seemed histrionically (attention-seeking, dramatic) and schizoidally (oddly, hyper-intellectually and unemotionally) (so, thus, somewhat dissociative and borderline-organized?) narcissistic, but he was more than up-front about his narcissistic as well as obsessive-compulsive psychopathology, as well as remarkably (and, well, obsessively) willing to cut himself open for the world to see.

In psychoanalytic / psychodynamic terms, I began to see his writing as superego punishment of his narcissistic id while his contaminated ego looked on bemusedly. Fascinating stuff, at least to me. (But I love borderline =anything=. From a safe distance.)

I continue to send students off to look at Sam's website, if for nothing more than to hear what they have to say that is self-revealing after they've done so. A few seem to "get" Sam; many, however, don't. But that figures, especially if they haven't worked through their own PD stuff. (Which -- to the extent that I have -- has only taken me about 20 years.)

For anyone looking for solid stuff on NPD from other sources, I really got a lot of bang for my buck from Teddy Millon's Personality Guided Therapy and Psychopathy, as well as Aaron Beck's and Arthur Freeman's Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders. TV personality ("personality;" hahahahahahaha!) (he is =so= contained) Michael Stone's Abnormalities of Personality Within and Beyond the Realm of Treatment, and Clarkin and Lenzenweger's Major Theories of Personality Disorder were also enlightening.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

Hi not moses,
Welcome to the forum. :) We recommend all new members to post an introduction in the Newbies section telling us a bit about themselves, how they found the cass material, and how much of the work here they have read. Thanks.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

purplehaze said:
More mismanaged help sites we know of:
Dr. Irene's Catbox (Dr. Irene is a right wing psycho and a sychophant of Vaknin's. Keeps a number of "just lay down and take it" moderators around; much like Evans) espouses 'codependency'

Got this from a member of our site today... seems the Catbox continues to have issues:
http://trubblescatboxandotherabusive.blogspot.com

http://thecatboximplosion.blogspot.com/

When ponerized 'therapists' and counselors try to "help" victims... trouble always seems to follow.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

purplehaze said:
It's also very common for Cyberpaths, Narcissists and Psychopaths to cyberstalk their exes.

Beckstead and Capers (see our sitehttp://cyberpaths.blogspot.com) are still doing this to their exes and anyone they think exposed them and threatening them.

Yidwithlid (also on our site - see link above) went to Vaknin's sites, where one of his victims originally went after finding him out, copied all her posts and then put her name, address & phone on PORN SITES along with pictures of her children... the police had to get involved.

These crazies will follow you all over the net... they believe they are all-powerful and invisible behind a keyboard



I have this problem with a family member. She is scorned because I refuse to play. She had access to my email for a while before I twigged. Imagine the damage a narcissist can do. She was sending emails from me to others and adding bits etc to make them seem truthful but with her own slant! Also she emails me from others pretending to be them. She has usually gained access to their computers by befriending them. One she did the accounts for. Most people do not have good passwords. My advice do not let any family know your passwords. She still trys but mostly I spot her now.


Mod's note: Edited to fix the quotation
 
They don't let go!

filachi
there is danger from these n's they will go to extreme and this is what people do not realise unless they have been under fire themselves. These bullies are everywhere and do not back down if you challenge them see through their games. They will come for you and will harrass you to death. My family n was capable of putting drugs in my food and I quite believe if I had not seen through her she would have engineered some kind of accident. Now she hovers on the edges of my life always waiting for a chance to manipulate or get in throught the cracks of my social links. She emails me under guise of others and gets others to phone and try and draw me in. She is a clever cookie and will not ever give up unless I expose her I guess. Every thing I learn online is useful but I am careful of these forums because most seem to have Vaknin link. N's find the internet absolute paradise they do not even have to wear the mask.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

piranah said:
filachi
there is danger from these n's they will go to extreme and this is what people do not realise unless they have been under fire themselves. These bullies are everywhere and do not back down if you challenge them see through their games. They will come for you and will harrass you to death. My family n was capable of putting drugs in my food and I quite believe if I had not seen through her she would have engineered some kind of accident. Now she hovers on the edges of my life always waiting for a chance to manipulate or get in throught the cracks of my social links. She emails me under guise of others and gets others to phone and try and draw me in. She is a clever cookie and will not ever give up unless I expose her I guess. Every thing I learn online is useful but I am careful of these forums because most seem to have Vaknin link. N's find the internet absolute paradise they do not even have to wear the mask.

The extraordinary persistence that you describe is actually a characteristic of serious psychopathology that is not narcissism. Clinical psychologist, Andrew Lobaczewski mentions that particular trait in reference to the schizoidal psychopath.

Lobaczewski in Political Ponerology said:
Schizoid characters aim to impose their own conceptual world upon other people or social groups, using relatively controlled pathological egotism and the exceptional tenacity derived from their persistent nature. They are thus eventually able to overpower another individual’s personality, which causes the latter’s behavior to turn desperately illogical. They may also exert a similar influence upon the group of people they have joined. They are psychological loners who feel better in some human organization, wherein they become zealots for some ideology, religious bigots, materialists, or adherents of an ideology with satanic features. If their activities consist of direct contact on a small social scale, their acquaintances easily perceive them to be eccentric, which limits their ponerogenic role. However, if they manage to hide their own personality behind the written word, their influence may poison the minds of society in a wide scale and for a long time.

Being able to figure out what type of psychopathology you are dealing with is very useful and "Ponerology" does that.
 
Re: Sam Vaknin - Narcissist or Psychopath?

.
The extraordinary persistence that you describe is actually a characteristic of serious psychopathology that is not narcissism. Clinical psychologist, Andrew Lobaczewski mentions that particular trait in reference to the schizoidal psychopath.

thank you for the clarification. I had thought her psychopathic but when I use that word I find not many believe me choosing to believe psychopaths are completely crazy and like those obvious ones on tv. Mine is coldly calculating and persistant and vengeful.



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