Sam Vaknin

Last updated

Sam Vaknin
סם ואקנין
Sem-vaknin-naj-naj(3).jpg
Vaknin in 2014
Born
Shmuel Vaknin

April 21, 1961 (1961-04-21) (age 64)
Kiryat Yam, Israel
OccupationWriter
Known forSelf-help material on psychology and personality disorders, in particular NPD. Work on chronons.
SpouseLidija Rangelovska
Website samvak.tripod.com Vaknin-Rangelovska Foundation

Shmuel "Sam" Vaknin (born April 21, 1961) is an Israeli writer. He is the author of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited (1999), was the last editor-in-chief of the now-defunct political news website Global Politician, and runs a private website about narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). [1] He was a financial advisor for several nation states; he has also postulated a theory on chronons and time asymmetry. [2]

Contents

Life

Born in Kiryat Yam, Israel, Vaknin was the eldest of five children born to Sephardi Jewish immigrants. His mother was from Turkey, and his father, a construction worker, was from Morocco. [3] He describes a difficult, violent childhood, stating in an interview that his parents "were ill-equipped to deal with normal children, let alone the gifted". [3] Vaknin believes that abuse and trauma from this time triggered his NPD. [4] [3]

Vaknin left home to serve in the Israel Defense Forces [3] from 1979 to 1982 in training and education units. Between 1980 and 1983 he founded a chain of computerized information kiosks in Tel Aviv, and in 1982 worked for the Nessim D. Gaon Group in Geneva, Paris, and New York City.[ citation needed ]

Between 1982 and 1983, Vaknin studied for a doctorate at Pacific Western University (California). [5] His PhD dissertation was entitled "Time Asymmetry Revisited". [5] In it, Vaknin postulated the existence of a particle (chronon). [6] [5] He proposed that chronon interactions (particle exchanges) in the Time Field generate "time" and "time asymmetry" as we observe them. [7] [5] [8] Vaknin's work has been expanded into the Geometric Chronon Field Theory by independent researcher Eytan H. Suchard. [9]

By the mid 1980s, Vaknin was highly successful financially, but aware of difficulties in his relationship with his wife, including severe mood swings. [10] [3] He sought help from a psychiatrist, who diagnosed him with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). [3] [10] Vaknin did not accept the diagnosis. As he later reflected: "I had no idea what he was talking about," he says. "I tried to corrupt him, I offered him money, and having felt that I succeeded, I lost all interest in him." [10]

From 1986 to 1987 he was the general manager of IPE Ltd. in London.[ citation needed ] He moved back to Israel, where he became director of the investment firm, Mikbatz Teshua. [1] In 1995, Vaknin and two other men were found guilty of three counts of securities fraud related to activities with the firm. [11] [12] [1] He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment and fined 50,000 shekels (about $14,000), while the company was fined 100,000 shekels. [11] [12] [4] As a condition of parole, he agreed to another mental health evaluation, which noted various personality disorders. [10] [3] According to Vaknin, "I was borderline, schizoid, but the most dominant was NPD." [10] On this occasion he accepted the diagnosis, because, he wrote, "it was a relief to know what I had." [10] As he reflected on the failure of his marriage, his estrangement from his family, his financial difficulties, and the ruin of his reputation, he initially blamed others for his difficulties but with time he realized that he was at fault. [13] While in prison, he began to write his book "Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited". [3] [14] [15]

After serving 11 months, [1] Vaknin was released in 1996, [10] [16] and moved to Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia). He began to educate and engage with thousands of narcissists and their victims in internet discussion forums, videos, ebooks and his own website. [10] [3] [1] [17] [16] [15] In September 2025, his Youtube channel had 419,000 subscribers. [16] His views have been solicited by the media. [3] [18] [19] He is credited with greatly raising public awareness of NPD. [10] [17] He met Macedonian Lidija Rangelovska, and together they set up Narcissus Publications in 1997, which publishes Vaknin's work. [14] [20] [3] His book, Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited was published by the press in 1999. [14] [15] [3] After five years together, the couple married. [3] Vaknin has appeared in many documentary films about narcissism and NPD. In 2007, he appeared in the episode "Egomania" of the British Channel 4 documentary series Mania. [15] [21] In 2009, he was the subject of the Australian documentary, I, Psychopath, directed by Ian Walker. [22] [23] In the film, Vaknin underwent a psychological evaluation in which he met the criteria for psychopathy according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, but did not meet the criteria for narcissism. [24] [23] [15] [25] He is filmed bullying and seeking to manipulate Walker, while showing detailed insight into both his actions and its negative emotional impact on the director. [25] [23] [24] In 2013, he was interviewed in "Moi, narcissique et cruel" produced by RTS in Switzerland, [26] while in 2016, he appeared in the documentary How Narcissists Took Over the World produced by Vice Media. [27]

From 1998 and 2001, Vaknin wrote for the Central Europe Review about Balkans issues. [28] [29] Between 2001 and 2003, he was a Senior Business Correspondent for United Press International. [30] [29] [1] He has also written for as well as for the Middle East Times . [31] From 1999 to 2001, Vaknin was the general manager of Capital Markets Institute, a company that advised Russian and Macedonian governments. [32] [33] He served an advisor and mentor to Macedonian Minister of Finance (and later prime minister) Nikola Gruevski., [34] [35] [36] and they co-authored the book "Macedonian Economy on a Crossroads". [18] Vaknin has written regularly for other publications, including from 2006 to 2013 for the online American Chronicle. [37]

Vaknin taught at Southern Federal University in Rostov Oblast, Russia between 2017–22, giving three lectures there on personality theory in psychology. [38] In 2024, he was appointed a visiting professor to the South East European University in Tetovo, North Macedonia. [39] He also teaches courses in business studies and psychology at the Commonwealth Institute for Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS). [40]

Views on narcissism

Vaknin has shared extensively about NPD and his own experience of the condition. [3] [17] [16] He describes two types of narcissism: a healthy narcissism which is the basis for self-esteem, self-worth and awareness of limitations and boundaries, and malignant narcissism, which is the consequence of abuse. [41] [20] [42] This narcissistic style may develop into a narcissistic personality disorder. [41]

Vaknin views NPD is a complex post-traumatic stress condition: [41] [4] a child has reacted to trauma with narcissism, and has failed to mature since then, [41] [16] [43] : 21  leading to an addictive personality and a dysfunctional attachment style, [4] in which the child "withdraw[s] inwards, to seek gratification from a secure, reliable and permanently available source: from one’s self’". [43] : 34  [14] : 150  Among the causes of trauma, Vaknin describes is childhood spoiling and pampering, as the child may internalize the faulty message that they will always gets what they desire. [43] : 21–23  In addition, he states that narcissists tend to have narcissistic parents. [43] : 21, 30 

In his view, narcissism is a defence mechanism designed to deflect trauma, hurt and their own perceived deficiencies. [43] : 12  [10] Those with NPD have lost their "true self", the core of their personality, which has been replaced by delusions of grandeur, a "false self", which is incapable of loving or empathizing. [20] [43] : 12  This empty world requires praise and attention of others to fill their need for unconditional love. [44] : 13  [43] : 12  Unlike a typical individual who welcomes a moderate amount of external admiration and approval, but avoids excessive amounts, a person with NPD is insatiable in their desire for attention. [45] [46] [10]

Fundamentally envious and lacking in confidence, the person with NPD is adept at manipulating and charming and persuading others. [47] Narcissists have an unremitting need for admiration and attention, also known as narcissistic supply. [13] [10] [3] [43] : 12  Vaknin suggests that there are two types of narcissistic supply. [48] Primary supply is that is received in everyday life from casual friends, acquaintances, strangers and coworkers amongst others. [48] Secondary narcissistic supply refers to that derived from the narcissists need to be viewed as successful. It is in part provided by parents, partners, children etc, who by their existence, appearance and qualities, contribute to the narcissist's self-image. [48] To a narcissist, children are "the ultimate source of Narcissistic Supply". [43] : 63  [14] They are instrumentalized to be the fulfillment of their narcissistic parent(s)'s dreams, are taught to subjugate their independence to feed the parent(s)'s need for narcissistic supply, and may be traumatized by the difficulties in living up to parental expectations. [48] [43] : 21 

If positive attention is not available, the narcissist prefers to inspire negative emotions in others rather than be ignored. [10] As narcissists cannot empathize with others, they are not aware of the consequences of their actions. [10] Vaknin reports that they can only experience what he calls “cold empathy”, [49] [16] in which the narcissist identifies emotions in others by observing their behaviours, feels they should care, but cannot experience it. [16] Vaknin calls narcissistic co-dependents "inverted narcissists" [50] [51] They actively seek relationships with narcissists, despite negative past experiences, embracing the role of victim in an effort to control their abuser. [51] "[They] provide the narcissist with an obsequious, unthreatening audience… the perfect backdrop." [17]

Vaknin distinguishes between cerebral and somatic narcissists; cerebral narcissists ostentatiously display their intellectual abilities and wit in order to gain the admiration of others. [17] In contrast, somatic narcissists focus on seeking attention for their outward appearance, including their looks, possessions, and sexual prowess. [17] Vaknin considers himself a cerebral narcissist. [17]

Vaknin believes that disproportionate numbers of pathological narcissists are at work in the professions where they can exert control and receive adulation such as medicine, finance, politics and show-business. [10] [52] [41] He views the internet as a magnet for narcissists, "[as it] allows us to replicate ourselves and our words, to play-act our favourite roles, to communicate instantly with thousands, to influence others and, in general, to realize some of our narcissistic dreams and tendencies." [53] In 2019, Vaknin appeared an online documentary on the subject: "Plugged-in: The True Toxicity of Social Media Revealed". [54]

Vaknin views NPD as incurable, and with a poor prognosis. [3] In his view, "the vast majority of narcissists end up at the very top or the very bottom – derelict, desolate, schizoid, bitter, decaying and decrepit. You won’t find any in the middle." [3] He states that treatment approaches tend to focus on the narcissist's victims rather than helping the narcissist: [41] [10] this is the result of therapists viewing the disorder as untreatable and the behavior of narcissist very difficult modify. [41]

Vaknin believes that narcissists may the most qualified to treat the disorder. [16] [17] He argues that in NPD, healing comes not from empathy and compassion, but from severe narcissistic injury. [44] : 164  Vaknin developed a treatment modality for narcissism and depression, dubbed "Cold Therapy". [41] As a result of its origin in childhood trauma, typical adult therapies are not appropriate. [41] Cold Therapy is based on recasting pathological narcissism as a form of CPTSD (Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) and arrested development. [4] [41] [55] Vaknin reports that early results of the approach are encouraging. [41] [4]

Selected publications

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Race, Tim (2002-07-29). "New Economy; Like Narcissus, executives are smitten, and undone, by their own images. (Published 2002)". New York Times .
  2. ↑ Vaknin S Time Asymmetry Re-Visited
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Roberts, Yvonne (September 16, 2007). "The monster in the mirror". The Sunday Times . London, England: News UK. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sunday Morning (2022-07-31). "Dr Sam Vaknin - the global narcissist database". RNZ . Retrieved 2025-11-13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Vaknin, Sam (1984). Time asymmetry re-visited. LCCN   85133690.
  6. ↑ dos Santos, Leonardo Sioufi Fagundes (2022-06-22). "Zeno's Paradoxes and the Viscous Friction Force" . Foundations of Physics. 52 (3) 67. Bibcode:2022FoPh...52...67D. doi:10.1007/s10701-022-00589-3. ISSN   1572-9516.
  7. ↑ Vaknin, Sam (September 2018). "Chronon Field, Time Atoms, and Quantized Time: Time Asymmetry Re-Visited". International Journal of Applied Sciences. 4 (9). London, England: IJAS Publications – via samvak.tripod.com.
  8. ↑ Bulathsinghala, D. L.; Gamalath, K. A. I. L. Wijewardena (2015). "Implementation of a Quantized Line Element in Klein-Gordon and Dirac Fields". International Letters of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy. 48: 68–86. doi: 10.56431/p-36k0sm . ISSN   2299-3843.
  9. ↑ Suchard, Eytan H. (2025-08-30). Chronon Field Theory. Narcissus Publishing.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Tempany, Adrian (September 4, 2010). "When narcissism becomes pathological". Financial Times .
  11. 1 2 Rosenfeld, Jose (July 27, 1995). "Business Briefs". The Jerusalem Post . ProQuest   321174686.
  12. 1 2 Gordon, Evelyn (June 14, 1996). "Supreme Court rejects appeal of three stock manipulators". The Jerusalem Post. ProQuest   316853034.
  13. 1 2 Hill Cone, Deborah (October 9, 2009). "Self-love stuck in an endless honeymoon". NZ Herald .
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Vaknin, Sam (2001). Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited. Narcissus Publishing. ISBN   978-80-238-3384-3.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Jalava, Jarkko; Griffiths, Stephanie; Maraun, Michael (2015-01-01). The Myth of the Born Criminal: Psychopathy, Neurobiology, and the Creation of the Modern Degenerate. University of Toronto Press. pp. 109–111. ISBN   978-1-4426-2836-6.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Long, Owen (September 8–21, 2025). "The rise of the professional narcissist". New York Magazine .
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Crompton, Simon (2007). All About Me: Loving a Narcissist. London, England: HarperCollins UK. pp. 7, 27–31. ISBN   9780007585977.
  18. 1 2 Peshkopia, Ridvan (2014-04-15). Conditioning Democratization: Institutional Reforms and EU Membership Conditionality in Albania and Macedonia. Anthem Press. p. 185. ISBN   978-0-85728-325-2.
  19. ↑ France, Lisa Respers (February 2, 2011). "Reality bites after the lights go out". CNN . Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  20. 1 2 3 Cusk, Rachel (2013-08-03). "On narcissim: the mirror and the self". New Statesman . Archived from the original on 2025-07-19.
  21. ↑ Woolaston, Sam "Last night's TV", The Guardian, February 6, 2007
  22. ↑ "I, Psychopath", CBC, May 25, 2009.
  23. 1 2 3 Walters, Conrad (March 25, 2010). "Brain scan". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  24. 1 2 Shoemaker, David (2015-04-01). Responsibility from the Margins. Oxford University Press. pp. 159–160. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198715672.003.0006. ISBN   978-0-19-871567-2.
  25. 1 2 Shoemaker, David W. (2014). "Psychopathy, Responsibility, and the Moral/Conventional Distinction"". In Schramme, Thomas (ed.). Being Amoral: Psychopathy and Moral Incapacity. The MIT Press. pp. 247–274. doi:10.7551/mitpress/9780262027915.003.0011. ISBN   978-0-262-02791-5.
  26. ↑ Moi, narcissique et cruel . Retrieved 2025-11-10– via www.rts.ch.
  27. ↑ How Narcissists Took Over the World Vice Media 12 September 2016
  28. ↑ Central Europe Review. Author Archive: Sam Vaknin. Accessed December 22, 2020
  29. 1 2 Farnam, Arie (May 15, 2001). "Macedonia tries again for difficult unity". The Christian Science Monitor . ProQuest   405543102.
  30. ↑ Vaknin, Sam (October 4, 2002). "Commentary: The morality of Child labor". United Press International . Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  31. ↑ Vaknin, Sam (April 3, 2003). "The 'axis of oil'". Middle East Times . Archived from the original on April 30, 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  32. ↑ Drake, James (April 2001). "Back to basics in the Balkans". Institutional Investor Magazine .
  33. ↑ Vaknin, Samuel (21 June 1999). "Why Did Milosevic Surrender?". Central Europe Review.
  34. ↑ MACEDONIA'S PUBLIC SECRET (Report). International Crisis Group. 2002. p. 41.
  35. ↑ Byrne, Andrew (May 15, 2015). "Strongman Nikola Gruevski blamed for Macedonia's ills". Financial Times . ProQuest   1687923873 . Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  36. ↑ Džankic, Jelena (2016-03-03). Citizenship in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro: Effects of Statehood and Identity Challenges. Routledge. p. 84. ISBN   978-1-317-16579-8.
  37. ↑ "Sam Vaknin, Ph.D." American Chronicle. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-02-27.
  38. ↑ "Сэм Вакнин с курсом лекций «Теория личности в психологии»" [Sam Vaknin will deliver lectures on "Personality Theory in Psychology"]. Southern Federal University (in Russian). 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  39. ↑ "Prof. Sam Vaknin is appointed to lecture as a visiting professor at SEEU". South East European University. 26 September 2024.
  40. ↑ "Sam Vaknin". CIAPS. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Lecklitner, Ian (2021-11-04). "They Say Narcissism Is Untreatable. This Narcissist Is Giving It a Try Anyway". MEL Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
  42. ↑ Plante, Thomas G. (2006-08-30). Mental Disorders of the New Millennium. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 44. ISBN   978-0-313-05459-4.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Collins, Megan (2018). The new narcissus in the age of reality television. Classical and contemporary social theory. Abingdon, Oxon New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-138-20697-7.
  44. 1 2 Lerner, Rokelle (2009). The object of my affection is in my reflection: coping with narcissists. Deerfield Beach, Fla: Health Communications. ISBN   978-0-7573-0768-3. OL   17073303M.
  45. ↑ Beck, Martha (August 2009). "The Praise Drug". Oprah.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  46. ↑ DuBrin, Andrew J. (2012-01-01). Narcissism in the Workplace: Research, Opinion and Practice. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 144. ISBN   978-1-78100-136-3.
  47. ↑ Bowes, Barbara (April 2, 2005). "Surviving the narcissist Attention-seekers exploit, discard colleagues". Winnipeg Free Press . pp. G9.
  48. 1 2 3 4 Degges-White, Suzanne (January 9, 2022). "Never Satisfied: Narcissists Crave Their Narcissistic Supply". Psychology Today . Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  49. ↑ Dombek, Kristin (2016). The Selfishness of Others: An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. p. 27. ISBN   978-0-86547-823-7.
  50. ↑ Vaknin, Sam The Inverted Narcissist
  51. 1 2 Olson, Dean T., ed. (2009). Perfect Enemy: the Law Enforcement Manual of Islamist Terrorism. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, LTD. pp. 94–95. ISBN   978-0-398-07886-7.
  52. ↑ Thomas, Karen (November 30, 2004). "Celebrities want to be alone -- or do they? ; Avoiding the public glare often creates more frenzy". USA TODAY . pp. D1.
  53. ↑ Harris, Misty (February 27, 2005). "For the Internet generation, it's all about me, baby". Edmonton Journal . pp. B9.
  54. ↑ Plugged-in: The True Toxicity of Social Media Revealed
  55. ↑ Vaknin, Sam (6 August 2018). "Cold Therapy and Narcissistic Disorders of the Self" (PDF). Journal of Clinical Review & Case Reports.
  56. ↑ ואקנין, שמואל (1997). Baḳashah me-ishah ahuvah. Prozah. ISBN   9789654483414. LCCN   97826249.
  57. ↑ Project Gutenberg - books by Sam Vaknin
  58. ↑ Central Europe Review Accessed December 22, 2020
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.