inner expose’?
or is it a facade that has no basis except its facadeness?
Re: does pretence lead to...
There are related terms from the etymology of the word 'pretence'
pretentious
pretext
pre - tense
So it could be careless intent, which is genuine but lacking sincerity. It could be a facade, but it could also be an unintentional one.
It could be an excuse a determinant a motivator to act or do something to protect or to justify an act. Knowing that the justification is easier to swallow than than the truth, but it could be to serve ones own interests a deception with intent.
The tense is the present ... the pre tense is the prediction of what might occur. It is a game of playing fortune teller. It is a lie because none knows the future, but it could be one that the person deludes himself with. It could manifest as said but the intent would be hidden.
The answer is yes ... with just a little searching under the surface a pretence can be exposed but what cannot be exposed so easily is whether the pretence was intentional or self-delusional, the former being an attack and the latter being a sincere error.