There are a number of reasons that people lie. The first is fear. This is the most common reason that people may lie, and they are taking shelter from a perceived punishment. It may be because they know they have done something wrong a single time, in which case it is not compulsive lying. But if they are always in fear of being punished, it may become a habit, which is a second reason for lying. In this case, it may become compulsive lying, which is lying by reflex. Even when confronted by the truth, they insist the lie is the truth in this case. A third case is learning to lie through modeling. When a people see others lie, especially when they get away with it, they may become more prone to lying. Finally, people lie because they feel if they tell the truth they won't get what they want. Thus, out of the main reasons for lying, only lying by habit can truly be called "compulsive lying" or "pathological lying".

Increased lying has been seen with a number of psychiatric diagnoses such as ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. With ADHD people will often say "I don't know why I did that", and when confronted about why they lied, their answer will be the same. ADHD children also display impulsivity, and they may lie implusively. Bipolar Disorder can be associated with low serotonin levels, which has been implicated in impulsivity, which, as indicated before, makes a person more prone to lie.

Pathological lying, though, can be thought of as being associated with a select few psychiatric diagnoses, which normally have their onset during adolescence. Namely, these are Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder. In conduct disorder, it is common to seelying, conning people and other forms of deceit. In Antisocial Personality Disorder, there is a pervasive pattern of disregard or the rights of others, and with this, the person with this disorder will often lie to get what they wish – usually money, sex or power.

Written by :

DerekW

 

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email this

Hits: 67949

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (8)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

lying

people lie for thrils to be different to stand out once a lyer always a lyer

K , September 10, 2009 | url

• 
• -1
• 
• 

...

how very interesting! it makes me think a bit differently of people telling lies now...have read a book about compulsive lying, but this article explains everything so greately. thanks a lot!

helen77 , September 28, 2009

• 
• -2
• 
• 

i'm just in shock.

I just found out that my absolute bestfriend has been lying since January, more lies each month, about people passing away in her life. She told me that if I didn't believe her, that I could go ahead and ask her mom. Well, that's just what I did. I'm kind of thinking that maybe this was her way of admitting all of her lies to me? There's all sorts of them. More than just about deaths, too. She's claimed that 11 people in her family or close to her family have died. I named them, and her mom had never even heard of some of them, and others were alive and well. I have always been completely honest with this friend of mine, and it hurts me and confuses me to find out that all of this has been lies all along. I feel so betrayed, and I'm so upset. I'm not really sure if I should confront her about it, because I don't want to lose her. I'm hurt, but I'm also extremely scared. It's really kind of creepy to think that someone who I have been completely and totally comfortable with and trusted for the past year has been lying to me all along. It makes me feel like [and i know this is rude to say] she's psychotic, and I feel horrible for her.

JMG , October 08, 2009

• 
• +3
• 
• 

Friends

I've been friends with this person for a very long time, twelve years to be exact. It used to seem all she did was lie about having relationships with people. She used to say she did all sorts of things, which now she says she hasn't, she must think I've forgotten the lies she told me and thought I believed, ha. I've spoke to my other close friends who think the same about her lies. She isn't as bad nowadays but she still tells some lies about 'fake' relationships. It's never anyone who I could question, it's someone who lives 'miles away.' It's extremely weird and I've learnt to switch off when she starts to lie. I've known her for ages but I wish I could tell her to stop lying, everyone around her knows she lies. It's really frustrating because she's always changing her stories.

Anon , October 20, 2009

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...

My marriage has nearly run its course because of lying. I am heartbroken because my husband is a compulsive liar and he refuses to seek help, even if it risks losing his family.

NJW , November 08, 2009 | url

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...

I am a semiconscious compulsive liar. I lie to avoid confrontation and my own insecurities. I have lived in very social circles since i was a kid and have always painted myself back into this reclusive circle of lies. I am very self aware and i know this is primarily attention based. I am a middle child whose older brother was a gifted athlete and whose younger brother was his real fathers only son. I have understood the reason i do what i do since i was 13, but can't stop. I lie to this day at work to avoid a new confrontation.

Judge if you will but i am disturbed. Thoughts have often raged beyond what a lie can control. These lies in my mind protect more than myself. Sad thing is that there are days that just the thought of another human voice, is enough to lie. The diseased mind, while always fragile, is often the conveyor of new technology. Impossible is possible and false is true. Just imagine.

b f o s , November 11, 2009

• 
• +0
• 
• 

My BBf is a LIAR!!! : (

Well this began three years ago. I have a female friend who looks like an ordinary girl but what you don't know is that she has an obsessive compulsive lying disorder. At first everything she said at one point seems to me very realistic. But one day, after hanging out with her and some other friends, she told us she had recently moved to New Jersey with her grandmother and her brother because she got to an argument with her mom and got kicked out of her house. We all seem to believe her because she said it in a very persuasive way. So we all believed her. Until one day, her mother called me asking where she was. So I responded that she was in New Jersey living with her grandmother and older brother. After she heard what I said, she was extremely shocked. She explained to me that none of this been true because she NEVER kicked her out nor had she had family living in Jersey. I was very disappointed and overwhelmed. I couldn't believe my best friend had lie to me and others about something very serious and personal. After that day, we continued to notice her lying obsession became more and more serious. After that day, we questioned weather or not she was telling the truth. Years pass and she still lying. We don't know what else to do. We tried getting advice from other close friends and it still wasn't enough to fix her. My guess is that she lies in order to make herself more conferrable and fit with the whole group. Its sad to say she lies sooo MUCH that she actually believes her lies.

Edwin Martinez , November 18, 2009

• 
• +0
• 
• 

My marriage

My whole life has just come crashing down around me....my husband of 10 yrs has been meeting other women, hiding mobile phones and lap tops to keep his "second life" hidden. He has run away to his parents and they are telling me he is having a nervous breakdown, im so confused as our life as far as i was concerned was perfecr, is he really having a nervous breakdown or lying???????? I would love your opinions

lm , November 20, 2009

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Write comment

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment Preview