Dear Mr. Vaknin,
Because it appears that accuracy is important to you and intellectual laziness an unforgivable sin, I'd like to reply to a few of your comments. We've had this discussion before...and before...perhaps you will hear me this time. Or is this another example of my Malignant Optimism?? LOL
CZBZ wrote in a prior message: "Sam Vaknin is not the only person writing about NPD. Most of the people I talk with have read far beyond Vaknin's Intro to NPD101. What Sam offers is personal insight into his disorder which is very helpful for cutting through our Pollyanna-esque perceptions, thank GOD. From there, we can study NPD by researching psychological theorists who may or may not be so honest as to admit they are bonafide Narcissists themselves."
To which Sam Vaknin replied: "You are conveniently forgetting 2 points: (1) I started it all. I was the first to write extensively about narcissism, back in 1998 and make all my work freely available on the Internet."
CZ replies to Sam's reply: (1) Are you the first person to write about narcissism??? Perhaps you are one of the first people to willingly divulge the distorted reality of the Malignant Narcissist as defined by the NPD criteria.
Sam: "The vast majority of victims - yourself included - came to be aware of their predicament by FIRST reading my work online."
CZ replies to Sam's reply: My introduction to narcissism was Alexander Lowen's book after finding the NPD criteria in the DSM-IV at Barnes and Nobles bookstore. Reading your work on the web was my first introduction to a malignant narcissist willingly divulging information about his mental disorder.
Sam: (2) Narcissism101? You got to be kidding me. My Website contains 1409 articles about every conceivable aspect of narcissism, psychopathy, personality disorders, and abusive relationships. It's the most comprehensive resource there is, backed by extensive bibliographies."
CZ replies to Sam's reply: (2) I used the term narcissism101 because your writings are accessible to the layperson, frequently inspiring them to read theoretical work focused on psychological studies and research.
Sam: "How do I know that it's the most comprehensive resource there is? You said so yourself - before you quarreled with Femfree, that is."
CZ replies to Sam's reply AGAIN: This is a FACT: I have never quarreled with Femfree. We have never argued directly, unless of course, she was posting messages under an alias. ;-(
Another fact: Nobody argues/debates with Femfree. That would be akin to having a discussion with a brick wall. LOL
Sam: "In any case, your policy of deleting any and all references to my work does a disservice to your membership. whatever you think about me, your members would most definitely benefit from reading my work."
CZ replies to Sam's false allegations: I do not delete references to your work nor do I, nor have I ever, censored/banned/canceled the memberships of anyone mentioning your name or your work.
You might also benefit from reading my writings and getting your facts in order because you are making inaccurate assumptions.
I selected the work of Nina Brown to be the foundation to my website, not because of an anti-Vaknin agenda; but because it is VERY important to make the distinction between Destructive Narcissistic Patterns and the Malignant Narcissist.
You are still listed on my link pages, as are many of your articles though it is most likely redundant (if members have access to Google, that is).
However, being listed as a credible resource does not grant you immunity from people thinking critically for themselves or questioning your writings.
Encouraging critical inquiry of anyone pertaining to be an authority is an essential remediation of narcissistic abuse.
CZBZ
