I am glad this article passed moderator muster to reach the RoR site as a linked external article, and that someone has already sanctioned it. I read an interesting book a few years ago called Emotional Vampires by Albert Bernstein and ran a search on that term recently to see who else used it. That led me to the Mark Manson article. What made it worth sharing here was his reference to Nathaniel Branden. Fun question: Which three of Branden's The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem does Manson mean when he says: Emotional vampires exhibit three specific traits simultaneously: an excessive need for validation/attention from others, the belief that little to nothing that occurs is their fault, and the lack of self-awareness to recognize their self-defeating patterns. People who are familiar with Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden will recognize that these are three of the six pillars — or rather, a lack of three of the pillars.
I cannot say I agree with the entirety of the article since there can indeed be times when the collective is to blame rather than the individual so-called "vampire." Would he call any of the heroes of any of Ayn Rand's novels "vampires" when they learn the collective is at fault and properly blame them? One wonders. That said, I see a strong theme of social metaphysics in the vampire's affliction according to Manson. I thought this article would make a fun discussion so I hope others enjoy it.
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