To Catch a Liar

• Published in: Officer.com
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Fort Atkinson Endeavor Business Media 12.09.2014
• Subjects: Behavior; Deception; Interviews; Law enforcement; Lying; Mental disorders

Pathological lying is similar to selfish lying, while being more pervasive. A pathological liar is usually defined as someone who lies incessantly to get their way and does so with little concern for others. He/she lies when there may be no external motivation to tell a lie and when telling the truth might have actually been a better option. Pathologic lying is noted for the chronicity and frequency of the lies, as well as the apparent lack of benefit derived from them. The lies are often comprehensive, complicated, and ostentatious. Pathological liars have little, if any, regard or respect for the rights and feelings of others. The magnitude, callousness, or consequences of the lying behavior are quite simply irrelevant to them. A pathological liar frequently comes across as being manipulative, charming, cunning, and self-centered. They themselves may not be able to tell the truth from a lie. This causes them to contradict themselves. While most people lie for an external reward, the pathological liar's lies appear to be satisfying a more internal gratification. Most pathological liars will admit that they, in essence, prey on people. A compulsive liar (also referred to as habitual or chronic liar) is defined as someone who lies out of habit; lying simply becomes second nature to them. Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions. For the most part, compulsive liars are not overly manipulative and/or cunning. A compulsive liar will resort to telling lies, regardless of the situation. Compulsive liars take comfort in bending the truth about everything, large and small. For a compulsive liar, telling the truth feels awkward and uncomfortable, while lying feels safe. This behavior eventually becomes addictive. Compulsive lying can easily ruin any relationship. Professor Aldert Vrij of the University of Portsmouth believes that the key to improving lie detection may be in the way that interviewers or observers respond to subjects' behavior. He has found that many of the widespread beliefs among police officers about deceptive behavior are in fact incorrect. Despite popular belief, there are no reliable nonverbal cues of deception. Behaviors such as gaze aversion, touching the body/face, or covering the eyes or mouth while speaking have not been found to be reliable indicators for deception. This is because people do not consistently give off the same nonverbal cues when they lie. Liars are concerned about not being believed, they often come across as helpful and truthful in an interview, and put more effort into impressing their interviewer. Another misconception is the belief that only guilty people appear nervous. Let's face it, being questioned by law enforcement can be stressful for anyone. That anxiety can be easily heightened by accusatory questions and/or an aggressive interviewing style. Not surprisingly, innocent individuals often demonstrate many of the stereotypical behaviors associated with deception: speech errors, fidgeting, and gaze aversion.