A Pathological Liar is a Person Who Tells Lies Frequently, With No Rational Motive for Doing So

We’ve all done it. It might have been a slip of the tongue, or something you meant to say to avoid a fight. But let’s face it: we’ve all lied before. No one is immune to lying, but some things are always on the broader, more severe end of the spectrum.

Lying is the act of both knowingly and intentionally making a false statement. Most people do so out of fear. Normal lies are defensive ones, and are told to avoid the consequences of truth telling. They are often white lies that spare another’s feelings, reflect a pro-social attitude, and make civilized human contact possible. But there is more to lying than just the confines of the subject. If severe, it can be considered as a mental illness.

In psychiatry, pathological lying (or PL) is a behavior of compulsive lying. And although it is a controversial topic, pathological lying has been defined as “falsification entirely disproportionate to any discernible end in view, may be extensive and very complicated; and may manifest over a period of years or even a lifetime” (“Pathological lying,” n.d.).

Pathological lying is considered a mental illness, because it takes over rational judgment and progresses into the fantasy world and back. PL is characterized by a long history (some cases, maybe even lifelong) of frequent, transparent and often seem rather pointless lies without any apparent psychological motive or external benefit.

The individual may be aware they are lying or may believe that they are telling the truth, and are unaware that they are relaying fantasies. In some cases, they might be self-incriminating or damaging, which makes the behavior even more incomprehensible.

There are many consequences of being a pathological liar. Due to lack of trust, most pathological liars’ relationships and friendships fail. If the illness continues to progress, lying could become as severe as to cause legal problems. There are also certain techniques and tips as to how you can spot a liar.

There are many reasons why we lie. It’s just a matter of self-control and motive. How about you? Why do you lie? Do you agree that pathological lying is something that humanity has yet to comprehend? Or are we just staring at the answer in the face? I’d love to hear from you!

References:

Dike, C. C. (2008, June 1). Pathological lying: Symptom or disease? Retrieved from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/pathological-lying-symptom-or-disease

Pathological lying. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathological_lying

Edited by: Zoe