Sam Vaknin

Shmuel "Sam" Vaknin (Hebrew: שמואל "סם" ואקנין, born April 21, 1961) is an Israeli writer. He is the author of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited, 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).

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. Vaknin believes that abuse and trauma from this time triggered his NPD. His PhD dissertation was entitled "Time Asymmetry Revisited".

By the mid 1980s, Vaknin was living in London, and was successful financially, but aware of difficulties in his relationship with his first wife, including severe mood swings. In 1995, Vaknin and two other men were convicted of three counts of securities fraud for deceiving customers and thereafter engaging in stock manipulation. He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment and fined 50,000 shekels (about $14,000), and the company was fined 100,000 shekels. 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. While in prison, he began to write his book "Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited".

After serving 11 months, 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. He is credited with greatly raising public awareness of NPD.

In 2009, he was the subject of the Australian documentary, I, Psychopath, directed by Ian Walker. 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.

In 2013, he was interviewed in "Moi, narcissique et cruel" produced by RTS in Switzerland. In 2016, he appeared in the documentary How Narcissists Took Over the World produced by Vice Media.

From 1998 and 2001, Vaknin wrote for the Central Europe Review about Balkans-related issues. Between 2001 and 2003, he was a senior business correspondent for United Press International. From 1999 to 2001, Vaknin was the general manager of Capital Markets Institute, a company that advised Russian and Macedonian governments. He served an advisor and mentor to Macedonian Minister of Finance and later prime minister, Nikola Gruevski. They co-authored the book "Macedonian Economy on a Crossroads". Vaknin has written regularly for other publications, including from 2006 to 2013 for the online American Chronicle.

Vaknin taught at Southern Federal University in Rostov Oblast, Russia between 2017 and 2022, giving three lectures there on personality theory in psychology. In 2024, he was appointed a visiting professor to the South East European University in Tetovo, North Macedonia. He also teaches courses in business studies and psychology at the Commonwealth Institute for Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS).

Views on narcissism Vaknin has shared extensively about NPD and his own experience of the condition. This narcissistic style may develop into a narcissistic personality disorder. primary supply is received from casual friends, acquaintances, strangers and coworkers amongst others, who actively seek out relationships with narcissists despite negative past experiences, embracing the role of victim in an effort to control their abuser. 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. In 2019, Vaknin appeared in an online documentary on the subject: "Plugged-in: The True Toxicity of Social Media Revealed".

Vaknin views NPD as incurable, and with a poor prognosis. Vaknin developed a treatment modality for narcissism and depression, dubbed "Cold Therapy". As a result of its origin in childhood trauma, typical adult therapies are not appropriate. Vaknin reports that early results of the approach are encouraging. (with Nikola Gruevski) Macedonian Economy on a Crossroads. Skopje, NIP Noval Literatura, 1998. Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited. Narcissus Publications, Prague, 1999. After the Rain: How the West Lost the East. Narcissus Publications, in association with Central Europe Review/CEENMI, 2000.