Professor Sezonenko
ENC 1102
12/9/2015
Lying for the Thrill
Pathological lying is a controversial topic. It is debated if it should be classified as a symptom or a disease. Pathological lying is characterized by frequent and repeated lying for no apparent reason. Pathological liars have no motives for benefits from their behavior. Lying to hide something has more consequences behind it such as avoiding punishment. Everyone carries the trait of being untruthful to manipulate a situation. Pathological lying has a trait called Pseudologia Phantastica, which causes the person to believe their own lies. Pathological lying is becoming an epidemic, which is requiring a need for recognizing the problem, as being a pathological liar is a danger to one’s self or to others.
There are several different kinds of liars: there are ordinary liars, compulsive liars, and pathological liars. An ordinary liar is the everyday person that tells a little white lie to avoid consequences or just to add exaggeration. For example, I asked my six year old brother, Isaiah, if he ate the doughnuts that I had in my room, and his immediate answer was no, even though I could see the white powder around his lips. Thinking he would get in trouble, Isaiah lied to avoid consequences. Compulsive liars are people who lie because it is a habit. They lie to avoid the truth, which may be uncomfortable to them. Low self-esteem is a big factor in being a compulsive liar. My cousin Cindy is an example of a compulsive liar. Back when I was living in Chicago, Illinois, there was a theme park call “Six Flags.” A new ride, Superman, had just come out that day; I asked Cindy to come with me to try out the new ride, and her response was she had already been on the ride several times. I asked Cindy how she could have road the ride several times if it just opened today, and she then said that she had ridden it with her friend who was able to take someone with her to preview the ride two days prior. This is when I knew Cindy was lying just to try and seem cool because she had been at my house for four days and had only gone out to go to the grocery store and had only been gone for an hour and a half, while Six Flags was an hour away from my house. Cindy was a compulsive liar, but she was not a pathological liar. A pathological liar is someone who lies frequently, without thinking about it, and has no real reason for doing so. Pathological liars are manipulative and have no regards to other’s feelings. They simply lie to get their way. For example, my friend, Oliver, came to our high school telling everyone that he saw a UFO at the park that he was playing basketball at. As a result every time Oliver goes to the park he looks around for UFO’s. The difference between a compulsive liar and a pathological liar is that a pathological liar begins to believe their own lies and believe that they are reality. Both pathological liars and compulsive liars will not admit that they are lying or were ever lying. If confronted with the truth, both kinds of liars will stick to their lies and then get defensive. Neither type of liars finds value in telling the truth. “People who have antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder tend to be pathological liars. Compulsive liars may or may not have a mental disorder. People with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder resort to lying compulsively” (Dike 70).
As adolescents we were taught that lying was wrong, but eventually we lied anyway. According to a study in 2002 done by the University of Massachusetts, research shows that 60% of average adults cannot have a ten minute conversation without telling at least one lie. Some of us lie more than others do, which it is compulsive and unable to be controlled. Sometimes people lie to make themselves feel good, to make themselves look good in other people’s eyes, to cover our tracks when we are being dishonest, or to spare someone’s feeling from getting hurt. Also we lie to avoid confrontation, punishments, cover up lack of knowledge, and cover up embarrassments. We manipulate situations and fabricate the truth causing deception. Many times we tend to tell these little white lies which turn into bigger lies. However, lying is still wrong and unethical. Lying does not always have to be verbal. It can also be an act. Babies as young as six months can fake cry to get attention from their parents. Therefore, it is in our human nature to lie. Lying is beneficial to the liar, yet can be hurtful to person being lied to. The inevitable consequences that follow deception - manipulation, heartache, and mistrust - cover a huge range of dysfunctional behaviors. Many of those consequences can cause long term damage to another person mentally, especially in relationships. Being labeled a pathological liar is not one of the best qualities a person can possess. Pathological lying usually is driven by low self-esteem and by an individual who tries to hide the reality by creating a fantasy that they relive in their mind. The severity of it all can cause great damage to the pathological liar; they become victims under false pretense. “Pathological liars are placed into different categories: there are impulsive pathological liar, the substance abuse habitual liar, and a daydreaming pathological liar” (Dike 70).
Treatment for a pathological liar can be like an uphill battle in the snow. The progress really depends on the motivation of the pathological liar, which can be very challenging considering the fact that they do not recognize they are lying. Psychotherapy can help a person that is a pathological liar. Psychotherapy is a term for treating mental illness by talking to a psychiatrist or other mental health provider. During psychotherapy, patients learn about their conditions, moods, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. There are different methods to psychotherapy; it just depends on the patient and the patient’s individual situation. “Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy in which negative patterns of thought about the self and the worlds are challenged in order to alter unwanted behavior patterns or treat mood disorders such as depression” (Taylor 315). Cognitive behavioral therapy approach helps the pathological liar learn to identify the situations and thoughts that make them resort to lying. When pathological liars begin to understand that they are lying and realize when they are lying, this helps them have a different approach to things from the past. The person is screened for personality disorders. The psychiatrist can prescribe medication to assist with the treatment plan. With medication and the psychotherapy, pathological lying can be stopped.
In conclusion, pathological lying is an epidemic that needs to be stopped. Research shows that pathological lying is a danger to one’s self and others. It is the most severe type of lying, versus compulsive and ordinary lying. The severity also depends on how emotional the pathological liar is because the more emotional they are, their stories become more fabricated. Being a pathological liar is likely associated with a mental illness. A pathological liar’s treatment varies on their own success. It is difficult to treat because people have to come to the realization that they are lying. Once they realize that they are lying, it becomes easier to undergo the psychotherapy and bring them back to reality.

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