Why People Lie
 

The person, however, who seems to feel compelled to lie about both the small and large stuff has a problem. We often call these folks pathological liars (which is a description, not a diagnosis). They lie to protect themselves, look good, gain financially or socially and avoid punishment.

Quite often the person who has been deceived knows that this type of liar has to a certain extent deluded him or herself and is therefore to be somewhat pitied.A much more troubling group is those who lie a lot — and knowingly — for personal gain.

These people may have a diagnosis called antisocial personality disorder, also known as being a sociopath, and often get into scrapes with the law. Lying often gets worse with the passage of time. When you get away with a lie it often impels you to continue your deceptions. Also, liars often find themselves perpetrating more untruths to cover themselves.

Why do we dislike liars, especially sociopaths, so much? It’s a matter of trust.

Serious deception often makes it impossible for us to trust another person again. Because the issue of trust is on the line, coming clean about the lie as soon as possible is the best way to mend fences.

If the truth only comes out once it is forced, repair of trust is far less likely.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4072816/

Re: Why People Lie
 

Interesting.... :hmmm

Re: Why People Lie
 

"It's tied in with self-esteem," says University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert Feldman. "We find that as soon as people feel that their self-esteem is threatened, they immediately begin to lie at higher levels."

But bald-faced lies (whether they involve leaving out the truth or putting in something false), are harmful, as they corrode trust and intimacy—the glue of society.

People are so engaged in managing how others perceive them that they are often unable to separate truth from fiction in their own minds, Feldman's research shows.

Men lie no more than women, but they tend to lie to make themselves look better, while women are more likely to lie to make the other person feel better.


Extroverts tend to lie more than introverts, Feldman found in similar research involving a job-interview situation.



http://www.livescience.com/health/060515_why_lie.html

Re: Why People Lie
 

Re: Why People Lie
 

Id be interested in Rhoni's comments

Re: Why People Lie
 

I started thinking about this because of some accusations against a preacher. If true, why?

Re: Why People Lie
 

I know someone who is a pathological liar.

Re: Why People Lie
 

I have known people who will lie even when they know that YOU KNOW that they're lying. I just don't understand it.

Re: Why People Lie
 

Do you think they were aware they were like this? The articles seem to suggest that at some point they loose touch with reality and don't realize they are lying anymore because they lie to themselves

Spiritually speaking I find this to be a very dangerous position to be in

Re: Why People Lie
 

I have known folks that lied so much that even when they were telling the truth they acted like they were lying. I wonder if this is why lying is so warned against in the bible? Eventually in order to keep doing this the liar has to deceive themselves and that leads to being deluded