An intriguing collection of articles by Dr. Sam Vaknin on narcissism, the narcissist, personality disorders and other aspects of normal and abnormal psychology.

All articles on this page were written by me--Dr. Sam Vaknin

1. Born Aliens - the development of our psyche.
2. Althusser - a Critique: Competing Interpellations - an analysis of Louis Althusser and his effect on human sanity.
3. Dis-ease - defining and diagnosing mental states.
4. The Metaphors of the Mind: The Dialogue of Dreams - what do our dreams mean and what do they accomplish?
5. On Empathy - defining empathy and how it relates to narcissism and other personality disorders.
6. The Family Cycle: The Good Enough Family - concept of family and how it impacts individual members.
7. The Egoistic Friend - what are friends for?
8. The Habit of Identity - the difference between habits and our identity.
9. The Virtual Home - in today's world, "home" has a different meaning.
10. The Offspring of Aeolus: On the Incest Taboo - discussion of incest and how it relates to narcissism.
11. The Cultural Narcissist: Lasch in an Age of Diminishing Expectations - a discussion of Christopher Lasch and his take on narcissism.
12. The Family Cycle: Euphoric and Dysphoric Phases in Marriage - the psychological reasons behind why people marry.
13. The Iron Mask: The Common Sources of Personality Disorders - the underlying psychology of personality disorders.
14. Metaphors of the Mind - dissecting the mind.
15. The Happiness of Others - connection between our actions and the happiness of others.
16. Parenting - The Irrational Vocation - why do people bother with parenting? The child, another provision of Narcissistic Supply.
17. The Madness of Playing - the meaning behind the games we humans play.
18. Form and Malignant Form- The Metaphorically Correct Artist and other Romanticist Mutations - how we romanticize our lives and things in them.
19. The Manifold of Sense - an essay on emotions vs. sensations.
20. The Murder of Oneself - the meaning of suicide. is it alright to kill yourself?
21. On Achievement - what constitutes achievement?
22. Traumas as Social Interactions - trauma and post traumatic stress phases
23. On Uniqueness - being unique and special is at the heart of narcissism
24. The Talented Mr. Ripley - an anatomy of the psychopath and his victims
25. The Meaninglessness of External Causes - the meaning of life is derived from outside sources of meaning
26. What is Abuse? - how to resist abuse and set boundaries
27. Narcissistic Leaders - extract narcissistic supply from their own public
28. Collective Narcissism - some cultures, societies and human collectives are narcissistic
29. The Psychology of Torture - the tortured bonds with the torturer and the aftermath is often worse than the harrowing experience
30. Object Relations - The Psychology of Serial and Mass Killers
31. Serial Killers as a Cultural Construct - serial killers act to an audience
32. The Myth of Mental Illness - Is mental health a myth perpetrated by self-interested industries?

next: Born Aliens