Talk:Superficial charm

Charm offensive
I propose to delete this section.

A charm offensive is related to "superficial charm" only in that the two expressions share a word. The inclusion of the section suggests that the charm emitted during a charm offensive is similar to "superficial charm". It isn't - superficial charm is a symptom of personality disorder.

MrDemeanour (talk) 11:27, 21 December 2021 (UTC)


 * ...and I went ahead and deleted the section.


 * MrDemeanour (talk) 13:35, 22 December 2021 (UTC)

WikiProject Marketing & Advertising
What does the subject of this article have to do with marketing or advertising? Superficial charm doesn't mean persuasive or misleading speech, it's a sign of a pathological psychological condition. And "superficial charm" doesn't mean simply charm that is superficial. It's a technical term in psychology.

MrDemeanour (talk) 11:33, 21 December 2021 (UTC)

This article violates WP:NOTDICT
"Superficial charm" is not a psychiatry/psychology concept, it's simply two words with self evident meaning, that most notably appear on a Canadian psychologist Robert D. Hare's Psychopathy Checklist. Other words on that list include manipulativeness, lack of empathy, criminal versatility, irresponsibility, poor behavior controls, juvenile delinquency, etc., also with self evident meaning. Nothing in the "reliable sources" suggest anything more than this. No significant works on the concept in google scholar. The term "Superficial charm" does not appear in the American Psychological Association dictionary, or the DSM-5. This term is popular with the "your ex-boyfriend is a psychopath" crowd, but not not a unique concept/construct as established by reputable sources. Note: The term appears in the article Psychopathy Checklist, but only mentioned in passing.Wiki-psyc (talk) 04:55, 3 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Comment Please see archives for numerous other criticisms of this article. Wiki-psyc (talk) 05:30, 3 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Comment I have reworked the article to be a shorter and cover the topic more broadly. Wiki-psyc (talk) 20:08, 4 January 2022 (UTC)