Talk:Sweet Mask/@comment-213.121.4.123-20190801190501

Anyone else thinks "Sweet Mask" refers to the personas that psychopaths portay outwardly as  Hervey Cleckley described in his 1941 classic The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called Psychopathic Personality. Sometimes psychopathy and sociopathy are referred to as Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Psychopathy or Dissocial Personality Disorder emphasize somewhat subjective, qualitative and inferred traits like lack of caring or empathy, easily formed but superficial interpersonal attachments, low tolerance for frustration, chronically irritable mood, absence of conscience, failure to learn from negative consequences, and defensive projection of blame onto others.

Hare's PCL-R test looks for specific characteristics such as glibness or charismatic charm, narcissistic grandiosity, need for constant stimulation, shallow affect, parasitic lifestyle, sexual promiscuity, multiple brief marriages, and extreme manipulativeness or deceitfulness. Just compare this to Sweet Mask's own attributes.

Often, psychopaths appear to be relaxed, outspoken and sociable which attracts many partners. However, though they are sociable, they will inevitably steer any conversation into their own interests. Psychopaths succeed in fooling others not just because of what they say, but also because of how they say it. Their demeanor tends to be self-assured, cool, smooth and collected. Even though, at core, they’re more disturbed than individuals diagnosed with severe mental illnesses–such as psychotics or schizophrenics–their personality disorder doesn’t show through.

The fact that psychopathy tends to be well concealed beneath a veneer of normalcy makes it all the more dangerous to others:  “Although the psychopath’s inner emotional deviations and deficiencies may be comparable with the inner status of the masked schizophrenic,” Cleckley goes on, “he outwardly shows nothing brittle or strange. Everything about him is likely to suggest desirable and superior human qualities, a robust mental health.”

Also, of note is that his position as both a male celebrity validates his grandiose self image, satisfies his constant need for affection/stimulation and gives him the added bonus of the "halo effect" and his role of evaluator means that he can effectively act as 'gatekeeper' as well as control the flow of information about his pathology.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/evil-deeds/200908/masks-sanity-part-four-what-is-psychopath

https://psychopathyawareness.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/how-do-psychopaths-construct-their-mask-of-sanity/