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by Hervey Cleckley (Author)
The Mask of Sanity by Hervey Cleckley is a seminal work in the field of psychiatry, first published in 1941. The book attempts to clarify some of the issues surrounding the so-called psychopathic personality, a term used to describe individuals who exhibit a lack of empathy, remorse, and conscience. Cleckley argues that these individuals are able to mask their true personality traits behind a veneer of normalcy, making them difficult to identify and diagnose.The book is divided into two parts. The first part provides an overview of the psychopathic personality, including its clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and prevalence in society. Cleckley also discusses the various theories that have been put forth to explain the psychopathic personality, including biological, psychological, and sociological explanations.The second part of the book consists of case studies of psychopathic individuals that Cleckley encountered during his career as a psychiatrist. These case studies provide a detailed and compelling portrait of the psychopathic personality, and illustrate the difficulties that clinicians face in identifying and treating these individuals.Throughout the book, Cleckley emphasizes the importance of recognizing the psychopathic personality as a distinct clinical entity, and argues that a better understanding of this condition is essential for the prevention and treatment of psychopathy. The Mask of Sanity remains a classic work in the field of psychiatry, and continues to be widely read and studied today.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
