the Mask

Summary: For public consumption and then something different behind closed doors. Splitting the self, avoiding accountability, responsibly, hiding and not being authentic.

Playing a character, not being authentic, the professional victim card is a major red flag and a form of acting with a hidden agenda.

Trying to be 1.5 for human development when they are 0.5 if a balanced person is 1.0 is a lack of authenticity and transparency with an agenda.

It's different from ‘fake till you make it’.

Rather than do the work, find personal growth and accountability to fix, suppress, blame shift and project with gaslighting occurs to keep the ego from feeling ‘fear of exposure’.

The scale can end with ‘highly dangerous’ as slipping under the radar with a covert agenda is not as easy to spot as overt traits.

The childhood environment plays a strong part. What was seen, learned, and experienced may be projected into adulthood with child-like tactics for validation, attention seeking, manipulation, survival tools used to exploit others, lying, gaslighting, and gossiping.

These all sound like a lack of development and can be extremely harmful and undiagnosed in an uneducated situation.

If anyone senses a manipulator in their environment, it is usually too late; seek professional advice with a list of comments, actions and behaviours.

In Story Drama, the villain wears a personality mask, has a secret, and has an agenda, all of which drip through tension. Batman and the Joker are more overt in their appearance.