#Compulsive lying professional
#Compulsive lying tv

“In some cases, the reward for lying is just too great. The American Psychological Association describes pathological lying as a continuous pattern of not telling the truth that can be related to a personality disorder. “It can get to the point where it’s compulsive, where it’s pathological,” Dudley says. Lack of repercussionsīut a lack of negative repercussions, along with the potential attainment of rewards, can contribute to a pattern of behavior, she says. Your own learning history leads you to not engage in that behavior anymore,” Dudley says. “If you’re someone who lied, and got caught in a lie, you might experience shame.

#Compulsive lying tv

“There can also be this sort of intrinsic reward, this sort of automatic reinforcement that can happen when the person who is telling the lie gains a sense of control over the situation or boosts their own self-esteem,” Dudley says.Ī hilarious and fictional example of this occurred in a season two episode of the popular TV show “Ghosts,” when innkeeper Sam lies about finding a publisher for a biography of one of her spectral friends, Isaac.Īt first she’s trying to avoid disappointing Isaac, but then is delighted-to the chagrin of her husband, Jay-to see congratulatory messages popping up on Facebook.Įventually, Sam is caught in her lie and comes clean. “This could lead to the person receiving sympathy or attention, which feels good,” Dudley says. They may even make up tragedies, such as the loss of a family member or a fatal disease. “A politician might tell a lie because they are trying to avoid getting into hot water or they are trying to portray a version of themselves to the public that is more palatable than the actual version,” Dudley says.Ĭompulsive liars may lie about educational achievements or non-existent military service. “We also engage in behaviors that allow us to avoid punishment of some sort,” she says. “So you might lie in order to gain money or something like that.”

“Someone might lie to gain praise, to gain accolades or maybe some tangible reward,” Dudley says. Like anything else, we get better at it, and it gets easier,” Dudley says. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern UniversityĬompulsive liars who have achieved success in business or politics “are people who have probably been doing it for a while.

Laura Dudley, Assistant Clinical Professor and Program Director for the Applied Behavior Analysis programs poses for a portrait. “But there aren’t three things,” she says. People who want to protect themselves from liars sometimes want to learn “three telltale signs that someone is lying,” Dudley says. They have learned what body language to use and what words to use,” she says. That individual “is someone who has honed this skill of telling a lie. The case is not so with adults who lie on a regular or compulsive basis, Dudley says. Strictly amateurs, they may elaborate more than they ordinarily would and flood their suspicious listener with reams of words they seem helpless to stop. It’s part of the bond that holds society together.Īnd compulsive liars are good at what they do, Dudley says.Ĭhildren and honest adults tend to give themselves away when they tell a fib, she says. It turns out it’s harder than you think to discern when a compulsive liar is making things up, says Laura Dudley, an associate clinical professor in Northeastern’s Department of Applied Psychology.įor the most part, people tend to trust other people. Given the sheer number of prevarications, shouldn’t observers, even casual ones, have caught on to them sooner? Lying is a skill set

#Compulsive lying professional

Santos lied on his resume about his educational and professional achievements, falsely claimed to be Jewish and now faces 13 federal charges relating to fraud, money laundering and lying to the House of Representatives-while still serving in the House. Holmes lied about the blood-testing capacity of her health tech startup, Theranos, for years before being found guilty of fraud charges and being sent to a Texas prison May 30. One of the fascinating aspects concerning the saga of convicted entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes and recently indicted New York Congressman George Santos is how long they got away with lying to investors, patients, voters and the public.