Hervey M. Cleckley - The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt To Clarify Some Issues About the So Called Psychopathic Personality

There are many more psychopathic personalities living among us than the general public and professionals first supposed. The troublesome brother or sister - the boyfriend or girlfriend we love but are puzz,led by their inconsistant behavior; the teacher, physician or lawyer whose behavior makes us think we are crazy, are among the many. This book puts the victims ( usually family members or their loved ones) in a position of understanding how to deal with the individual who has no conscience and no emotional feelings. This book will aid in relieving families of the guilt and financial burden that so often follows the psychopathicpersonality . Cleckley was a brilliant clinical psychiatrist who narrates case studies that he himself worked with over the years, usually with a sharp wit that makes this book more than just the greatest study of psychopaths ever written - it is also hilariously funny. The antics of some of these individuals are truly incredible. He describes one patient in particular who was in the hospital, we'll call him Al, who was a master at getting attention. While he was in hospital being evaluated, he began to chew up bread, spit it out, and scuplture the masticated dough, quite skillfully I might add, which then dried up into a rock-hard piece of - well, chewed up bread. He did this frequently and bestowed his little figurines to nurses and other patients - what a charmer. Cleckley's description of this behavior was hilarious.