Hervey M. Cleckley

Hervey M. Cleckley

Hervey Milton Cleckley, M.D.(1903 - January 28, 1984) was an American psychiatrist and pioneer in the field of psychopathy. His book, The Mask of Sanity, originally published in 1941, provided the most influential clinical description of psychopathy in the twentieth century. The term "mask of sanity" derived from Cleckley's observations that, unlike people with major mental disorders, a psychopath can appear normal and even engaging even when suffering from hallucinations or delusions. The "mask", however, conceals a disorder.