Responses to the most common claims made about my Ph.D., my professorships, and my work on pathological narcissism — with primary documents, citations, press coverage, and testimonials.
The rumour that I obtained my degree from a diploma mill is maliciously (and libellously) false. So is the claim that I am not — and have never been — a professor. It is also very old hat.
The canard first took root on Wikipedia, the “encyclopaedia” anyone can edit. I nearly sued Wikipedia a few years ago over an unrelated matter, and Jimmy Wales personally banned me indefinitely. In retaliation, Wikipedians anonymously disseminated libellous tidbits and vandalised or deleted my entry. This misinformation then fed into AI chatbots.
“The Six Sins of Wikipedia” Wikipedia: Narcissistic Cult, Cabal Exposed
Fans of Barack Obama joined the smear campaign as “revenge” for my suggestion that their idol may be a narcissist.
“Barack Obama: Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic?” (July 2008)
More recently, rabid supporters of Donald Trump have perpetuated these lies to discredit my analysis of him.
Following my public fallout with Richard Grannon in 2022, his organised supporters are disseminating the same and additional falsehoods online.
“When the Narcissist Senses the End is Near” — the malicious video
Smear Campaign Highlights on Instagram
Click HERE to Listen to Isla Traquair, the self-styled “investigative journalist” who is heading the escalating smear campaign (Jumpshare, MP3toURL)
The Narcissist’s Playbook “documentary” and the companion podcast series contain defamatory hit pieces against me, multiple falsehoods, and shoddy “research”.
They amount to a bad faith egregious and virulent smear campaign, intended to cast me in an utterly false light.
The podcaster and the filmmaker embarked on a campaign to eliminate me from the public sphere writing defamatory e-mails to conference organizers and to online, TV, and print media.
The makers of the film are my competitor, former business partner, and adversary, Richard Grannon; his current business partner, Mark Vicente; and their employees and collaborators.
The key question is: could you trust Grannon and Vicente to deliver an unbiased, objective, untainted, and well-researched study of these false allegations against me? (See the section below titled “Perpetrators”).
The clips in the film are from public role-playing events. In many cases, my clients are present in the audience.
As Grannon and I often did in our dialogs, one of us acted the psychopath and the other role-played a therapist. Grannon called it my “Count Dracula Routine” and is often filmed laughing wholeheartedly at my acting. Grannon himself acted the role of the psychopathic narcissist in many videos. In other clips, deliberately misrepresented in the film and in the podcast, I use first-person (“I”) pronouns to describe the typical thoughts and inner experiences of narcissists and psychopaths.
Ian Walker, the director of “I, Psychopath” made false allegations regarding women who supposedly complained about me in 2008. Yet, my first ever client was in 2012, 3 years after the documentary was released. His interview contains multiple falsehoods. One example: the university I got my Ph.D. from was in Encino, California, not in Hawaii.
In the interview, Ian Walker also indirectly called for my assassination (podcast episode 18, 1:06:18)
You can download multiple letters of appointment as full professor and visiting professor in several universities as well as to review all the information regarding my Ph.D. thesis here:
Media kit — letters of appointment and Ph.D. documentation
Cold Therapy, based on the groundbreaking work by Foa and Kozak (1985), is strictly verbal. It prohibits any kind of physical contact with the client. This is widely documented and explained in all the public materials and videos which deal with Cold Therapy (watch the Cold Therapy playlist on my YouTube channel). Cold Therapy is contraindicated in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and CPTSD (complex trauma). It is administered only by licensed therapists and psychiatrists.
The film and podcast were instigated by my former business partner with whom I fell out acrimoniously in public in 2022, Richard Grannon.
The fallout had nothing to do with the false allegations against me.
The film’s director, Mark Vicente, is Grannon’s current business partner: members.richardgrannon.com/narcissistic-cults-decoded-course. They failed to disclose their business relationship in the film and in the podcast.
Grannon produced another documentary hit piece against me in 2017. On that occasion, his supporters attempted to take down my Facebook page.
In 2023, Grannon attempted to take down my YouTube channel filing 50+ bogus copyright strikes.
The niche podcaster, a self-styled “investigative journalist”, has been accused of shoddy “research” and reporting before.
28(!!!) film festivals and all streaming platforms and their legal departments have rejected the film. Tells you all you need to know.
The statements by the sole Russian “victim” in the film and in the podcast are egregious lies.
As the film and the podcast make clear, she is a collaborator of Richard Grannon. She was Grannon’s coaching client (I introduced her to him). She, too, used to be my business partner (in Russia) following a brief period of consultations months before we have started our commercial collaboration.
All the other “evidence” regarding the other alleged “victims” was provided to the podcaster via this sole Russian “victim” and her German collaborator, another self-styled “victim”, who has never been my client.
The “victims” threatened and harassed other women who refused to join in the campaign of false allegations against me. At least one of these women complained to the police.
I did agree repeatedly to grant the filmmakers an interview on condition that they disclose the false allegations against me in advance, allowing me to prepare a documented response.
Both Vicente and the producer, Scott Altomare, deceptively denied — three times in writing — that there are any allegations whatsoever against me.
Given their denials, I saw no reason to meet them again.
Thus, I was given no opportunity to respond to the false allegations (Isla Traquair’s unethical ambush notwithstanding).
Ambush journalism is frowned upon as a bad faith practice. Courts worldwide have ruled that it does not afford the ambushed target an opportunity to respond to allegations. In some jurisdictions, elements of ambush journalism are criminalized:
Ambush interview — Model Diplomat glossary Ambush journalism — scholarly article
It is all in the podcast series.
The exclusive arbiters of justice in modern societies are not the mob and its personal vendetta-seeking leaders, but law enforcement, prosecution services, and the courts.
Ask the self-styled “investigative journalist” (niche podcaster), Isla Traquair, to produce a shred of evidence regarding the involvement of law enforcement, prosecution services, and/or the courts in any jurisdiction anywhere in the world.
They can’t.
For 4(!) years, they have been attempting to lodge complaints with police in the EU.
The police reviewed their “evidence” and threatened the perpetrators (posing as “victims”) with legal consequences if they do not cease and desist.
A similar attempt in the UK went nowhere for the same reasons.
The podcaster admits that the German self-styled “victim” — the only one of the two to be interviewed for the film and podcast — would not make a “good witness”.
The podcaster claims that I am being protected by the system as a white male. Her supporters online are openly antisemitic (“the Jews control the legal system”).
I never claimed to hold any academic degree in psychology. My Ph.D. is in Physics — catalogued at the Library of Congress and held at University Microfilms International. My professorships are visiting appointments granted on the basis of my life’s work in the field.
I studied in 1982–3 in Encino, California. At the time there was a university there called Pacific University — with a campus, real students, faculty, exams, and all the paraphernalia of higher education. Later, to distinguish itself from other Pacific universities, it added the moniker “Western” and became Pacific Western University–California (PWU). PWU–California sold its California State Approval status to California Miramar University and ceased operations in 2007. I have never been to Hawaii (seat of an unrelated “Pacific Western University”), let alone studied there. To obtain my Ph.D. in Physics, I submitted a dissertation and defended it.
That I hold a bona fide Ph.D. is very easy to prove: my dissertation (post-defence) is catalogued at the Library of Congress, mastered on microfilm by University Microfilms International, and a scan of the diploma is available.
Library of Congress catalogue entry Scan of the diploma Scientist's testimony UMI / LoC correspondence
Based on my life’s accomplishments in the field of psychology, I served as Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology at SFU in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. My appointment was terminated when I supported Ukraine and attacked Putin in European and even Russian media when Russia invaded.
Appointment letter University due diligence Appointment announcement Recent correspondence
Letters of appointment: 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 (draft) · 2020 (final)
Based on my life’s accomplishments in the field of psychology, since 2012, by invitation of Prof. Anthony Kila, I have taught psychology, finance, and management at CIAPS — the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced Professional Studies — with locations in Cambridge and Birmingham (UK), Ontario (Canada), and Lagos (Nigeria).
Detailed bio Bio (PDF) Letter of appointment VLE portal YouTube Playlist of Lectures
In September 2024 I was appointed Visiting Professor of Psychology and Economics at South East European University (SEEU), North Macedonia.
Appointment letter 1 Appointment letter 2 SEEU announcement SEEU news (PDF) CIAPS announcement CIAPS announcement (PDF) YouTube Playlist of Lectures
When Russia invaded Ukraine, I attacked Putin in European media — including Russian outlets — labelling him a psychopath. I also volunteered to help Ukraine by training its mental-health practitioners on PTSD (raped women, orphaned children, dazed soldiers), after being approached by Dr. Rajeev Fernando (Chiraj.org) and Cheriekah Ramirez; I offered my help directly to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the First Lady, and organised a network of dozens of volunteers worldwide. Wary of adverse consequences to them in Putin’s Russia, SFU has terminated my appointment as Visiting Professor. Scroll up to read and download the multiple letters of appointment issued by SFU over the years, as well as the voluminous correspondence with SFU regarding my 5-year engagement there as a Visiting Professor of Psychology.
Selected interviews: Hungarian RTL · Newsweek · Newsweek (print) · video 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · Brussels Morning archive
Volunteering in Ukraine Documentation 1 Volunteering in Ukraine Documentation 2
Visiting and non-tenured professors are often renowned for their life’s work in an academic discipline even when they hold no academic degree in the field. Erik Erikson served as a professor at Harvard with no academic degree in psychology. Many of the giants of psychology — including Freud, Klein, and (initially) Winnicott — had no academic degree in psychology.
About the visiting scholar What is a professor Contemporary professorship Non-traditional Professorships
Ian Walker, the hostile and envious director of “I, Psychopath”, paid me to participate in the film. I understood that I had to act the part of a rabid, stereotypical psychopath, which I did. I scored 18 on the PCL-R test administered in the film — a high score, but the cut-off for psychopaths is 30. I have antisocial tendencies, but I am not a psychopath.
The concluding scene in which I “admit” my doctorate hails from a diploma mill is the result of manipulative and malicious editing of the raw footage. Viewed carefully, I actually insist that my doctorate is genuine, that I had to defend it, and that it was granted by a bona fide university with a campus and in-situ classes. In response to Walker’s prompting, I explained the differences between diploma mills and my university; my description of a typical diploma mill was taken out of context to imply the opposite of what I said.
I wrote the first book and ran the first website ever dedicated to pathological narcissism, and coined most of the vocabulary now used to discuss it. My work is cited in over 4,000 scholarly publications and 3,000+ books.
In April 1997 I uploaded the free Internet edition of my book Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited, written in 1995. It is still available at narcissistic-abuse.com. It was the first website ever about narcissism. The response was an outpouring of anguish and relief from both narcissists and victims of abuse, who could finally put a label on their suffering. The first print edition followed in 1999.
At the time, with the exception of a handful of scholars, no one had even heard of pathological narcissism. I had to coin a whole new vocabulary — somatic and cerebral narcissist, narcissistic abuse, no contact, devalued and discarded, cold empathy, hoovering, flying monkeys — and reanimate moribund terms (Narcissistic Supply, gaslighting, False Self) with new meaning. 27 years later, narcissism is a cultural meme and a leading topic of academic study. I was also the first to introduce pathological narcissism into political analysis — see my July 2008 essay suggesting Obama may be a narcissist.
About the book Download 30+ free e-books Bibliographies (ZIP)
My NPD website and forums were the first ever on the Internet. I popularised narcissistic abuse (a term I coined in 1987) online and in print. I established and moderated the first online support groups for victims and survivors in 1999. My books are based on the latest research and on scholarly works by leading experts on personality disorders; many chapters contain detailed bibliographies. My online mailing lists alone include over 40,000 members, of which 15,000 are therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists.
I have been diagnosed with the disorder (twice) and spent time in therapy and almost a decade discussing it in depth — mainly by correspondence — with mental-health professionals worldwide. I never claimed to be a mental-health practitioner or to be licensed to administer therapy. The disclaimer on my site is unequivocal and prominently displayed, dating back to 2005; a shorter disclaimer has appeared on my front pages ever since 1997 (archive, mirror). The front page of “Malignant Self-love” has always stated clearly that I am not a mental-health practitioner (2007 edition, 2013 edition, excerpts in Project Gutenberg).
I am, however, certified by Brainbench in Counselling Techniques (with a very high mark). Brainbench was an online certification agency whose tests were difficult and time-limited, and whose clients included numerous Fortune-500 corporations, U.S. government agencies, and universities; it was ISO 9001:2000 certified.
My work is quoted in more than 4,000 scholarly publications and in over 3,000 books — including the American Journal of Psychiatry, Personality and Individual Differences, Psychology Today, American Journal of Family Therapy, Journal of Film and Video, Biomedical Ethics for Engineers, Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology, Journal of Counseling and Development, AI and Society, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Aggression and Violent Behavior, Journal of Religion and Health, Studies in Philosophy and Education, Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, and dozens of dissertations and theses — plus many more journals listed in my media kit.
Google Scholar My Scholar page Amazon: books citing me Google Books: 3,000+ Google Books: another 4,000 Download citations (ZIP)
Sage Web of Science ScienceDirect ORCID DNB Academia.edu Google Scholar CORE Emerald Library of Congress EBSCO JStor
CNN, Forbes, Financial Times, Sunday Times, New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, USA Today, UPI, The Guardian, The Australian, The Telegraph, New Statesman, New York Magazine, BBC World Service, Deutschlandfunk, Al-Jazeera, Vice, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Dr. Drew, IAI.tv, MEL Magazine, Atlantico, Daily Mail, and many more.
“Few people can claim to have increased the public awareness of NPD to such a degree.” — Adrian Tampany, Financial Times Weekend Magazine, 4–5 September 2010
“Malignant Self-love (is a) … magnum opus.” — Yvonne Roberts, Sunday Times, 16 September 2007
“Sam Vaknin is the world’s leading expert on narcissism.” — Tim Hall, New York Press, 12 February 2003
“Vaknin’s a respected expert on malignant narcissists … He set about to know everything there is about the psychopathic narcissist.” — Ian Walker, ABC Radio National Background Briefing, 18 July 2004
“Among many books published on the topic of pathological narcissism, this is by far the best. It is highly recommended not only for the general public but also for professional therapists.” — Akira Otani, Ed.D., ABPH, University of Maryland
“The book penetrates deeply into the narcissist’s mind and is filled with myriad gripping novel insights. It gives the reader a great insight into the fears, desires, defenses, and motives of the narcissist, as well as those in relationship with the narcissist.” — Alison Poulsen, Ph.D.
“Sam is doing great work on pathological narcissism. His book ‘Malignant Self-love’ is our first guideline in handling malignant types of patients in the forensic setting.” — Dr. Sanja Radeljak, MD, PhD, psychiatrist and forensic expert, Neuropsychiatric Hospital “Dr. Ivan Barbot”, Popovaca, Croatia
“Brilliant, insightful, extremely relevant — not only clinically but practically, on a day-to-day basis. This work can be immediately applied and be of assistance to our society at large.” — Dr. Cyndie Spanier, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Pittsburgh Behavioral Medicine, LLC
“Sam is a genius — his work most inspiring not only to myself but to my colleagues as well.” — Joan Jutta Lachkar, Ph.D., Affiliate Member of the New Center for Psychoanalysis; author of How to Talk to a Narcissist, How to Talk to a Borderline, Narcissistic / Borderline Couples
“Sam Vaknin’s book is THE bible on narcissism!” — Mary Jo Fay, author of When Your Perfect Partner Goes Perfectly Wrong
“I consider this book to be the compass for Narcissistic Personality Disorder education.” — Jen Emmerich, LMSW, ACSW
“There is no more important work than this one on the subject … You may very well discover yourself.” — Heyward Bruce Ewart, III, Ph.D., author of Am I Bad
“Read Malignant Self-love so you will understand that you are NOT crazy — you are just embedded in a crazy-making relationship.” — Liane J. Leedom, M.D., author of Just Like His Father?
“Vaknin’s depth and breadth are unmatched anywhere else and by anyone else. He knows everything there is to know about narcissistic and psychopathic abusers and how to cope with them effectively.” — Yomtov Barak, family therapist
“I was stimulated just as I was challenged and enlightened.” — Robert L. Mueller, author of Bullying Bosses
“The only source of such vast, serious, elaborated and thorough first-hand information about narcissism available. Useful for victims as well as therapists.” — Dr. Nili Raam, author
“Provides the partners, family and friends of NPD sufferers, and the sufferers themselves, with deep insight into the numerous expressions of this devastating and often insidious disorder.” — Esther Veltheim, author of Beyond Concepts
“One powerful healing tool in our therapy with these people is Dr. Vaknin’s book. The most accurate portrayal of the ‘typical’ cult leader we have ever seen.” — Robert Pardon, Director of MeadowHaven
“A must-read for psychologists, social workers, and all individuals who want to learn how to deal with the narcissists in their lives.” — Laurie Anthony, teacher and author
“Required reading for any codependent — to understand how the other side works.” — Dr. Irene, psychologist and webmistress of drirene.com
“If you wish to get under the skin of a narcissist, if you wish to get to know how he thinks and feels and why he behaves as he does, then this is the book for you.” — Dr. Anthony Benis, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York; author of Towards Self and Sanity
“Sam Vaknin is a leading authority on the topic of narcissism.” — Lisa Angelettie, MSW, former editor of BellaOnline’s Mental Health
“I cannot recommend this book enough to those of you who have this disorder, to families and friends who are trying to understand.” — Patty Pheil, MSW, Mental Health Today
“(T)his book is a must-read and will give you insight into the emotionally destructive people in your workplace, your family and among your friends. Sam Vaknin clears up the questions, confusion, and effects of dealing with narcissists; the book is well written, informative, and therapeutic.” — Carolyn Reilly, MSW, San Jose, Costa Rica
“This book has an important purpose. I am sure it will be appreciated in a library, classroom or among the mental health profession.” — Katherine Theriault, Inscriptions Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 20
“Now, for the first time, a much-needed first-hand account of what Narcissistic Personality Disorder is like. Offers insight and clarity.” — Howard Brown, 4Therapy
“Sam Vaknin’s study of narcissism is truly insightful. The author has done probably more than anyone else to educate others to this poorly understood condition. In this, his twelfth book, he shares his considerable knowledge and experience of narcissism in a comprehensive yet easy-to-read style.” — The late Tim Field, Bully Online
“Sam has plugged all the loopholes, exposed all the plots, and introduced a new language to confront the narcissist. A ‘hands-on’ tool that can immediately bring relief. If you want to breathe again, if you are at your wits’ end, if everything has been tried and failed, if you NEED a change, then Malignant Self-love can give you your life back. This book is a lifesaver!” — Kathy Stringer, ToddlerTime
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dawn Perri"
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 1997 1:01 AM
Here is the reply I received with respect to your dissertation.
From: "Connell, Bonnie" <bconnell@umi.com>
Subject: RE: Vaknin
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 15:08:21 -0500
From: Dawn Perri
To: Webmaster
Subject: Vaknin
I am looking for a dissertation that was registered with your service
in the early 1980s. The author is Sam Vaknin, and the title of the
dissertation is "Time Asymmetry Re-Visited". I did not have any luck
finding it with your search engine. I am reasonably sure that it is
registered with your service, as the author himself has directed me
here for a copy.
Thank you for your time,
Dawn Perri
Thank you for your recent inquiry. The dissertation you requested is
available from UMI. Copies can also be ordered over the Internet at
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dxweb/gateway.
Pricing: Catalog #LD00714
Academic (students / faculty):
Paper softcover $36.00 · Paper hardcover $43.50 · Film/Fiche $32.50
Non-academic:
Paper softcover $57.50 · Paper hardcover $69.50 · Film/Fiche $46.00
----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Hart <hart@pglaf.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2007 9:05 AM
Subject: [BP] Sam Vaknin’s PhD Thesis
A bit of factual evidence on Sam Vaknin’s doctorate that, perhaps,
takes us a little more out of the subjective realm:
While I am certainly no authority on "diploma mills" and the like,
I have never heard of one that would have required or accepted a
225-page doctoral thesis. Even more surprising would be acceptance
of such a thesis by University Microfilms International of Ann Arbor,
Michigan — pretty much the world thesis authority — and then by the
Library of Congress, whose entry follows:
Time asymmetry re-visited by Sam Vaknin.
LC Control Number: 85133690
Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
Personal Name: Vaknin, Sam.
Main Title: Time asymmetry re-visited [microform] / by Sam Vaknin.
Published/Created: 1982, c1984.
Description: [225] leaves.
Notes: Thesis (Ph.D.) — Pacific Western University, 1982.
Microfilm. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms
International, 1984. 1 microfilm reel; 35 mm.
LC Classification: Microfilm 85/871 (Q)
LCCN 85133690 Library of Congress catalogue Diploma scan LoC ZIP
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