Related Q&As:
- Symptoms of Mental Illness?
- Mental illness is defined and factors, signs, and symptoms are referenced to give the reader an idea of what it is. The most common symptoms are listed and broken down. Given that mental illness is common, the reader should not hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional.
- I’m insecure so I lie - but I want to stop!
- The reader is reassured that they are taking a great first step. If they need additional help, they can seek professional help. The nature of insecurity is broken down and a few reflection questions are asked. A few resources are attached if the reader wishes to seek help.
- Addicted to attention and drama?
- The response suggests the possibility of a personality disorder. Symptoms of HPD are listed as well as a breakdown of what someone with HPD will experience in different situations. Of course, diagnosis of HPD is difficult. It is good to check with a healthcare provider.
Definitions:
- Compulsive liar- individuals who lie constantly with NO motive (eg. continue lying even after being exposed for not telling the truth). The nature of lying is in the name itself… it can’t really be stopped by the individual.
- Pathological liar- individuals who lie constantly with a clear motive. Usually used to draw attention or admiration.
Source 1: Localisation of increased prefrontal white matter in pathological liars
SUMMARY
This source studies the prevalence of white matter in pathological liars, antisocial individuals, and “normal” individuals. White matter is composed of nerve fibers, which allows brain cells to quickly send and receive messages.
The studies’ findings are summarized as follows:
- Pathological liars have an increase in white matter throughout the brain compared to antisocial and normal controls.
- An increase of white matter in the prefrontal region (which guide’s people’s decisions) may be the reason these individuals experience pathological lying
- Alternatively, other scientists argue that an increased practice of pathological lying increased white matter
Overall, more research is needed in this field to better understand abnormalities responsible for pathological lying.
Source 2: Pathological Lying: Theoretical and Empirical Support for a Diagnostic Entity
SUMMARY
This source draws attention to how pathological lying is not recognized as a psychological disorder. There will be an attempt to determine whether or not it should be considered one.
Though pathological lying is commonly referenced, there is little known about its occurrence by psychologists and psychiatrists. We do know that psychological lying is rare, occurring in 8-13% of people (within the bounds of the study). Likewise, it is attributed to distress, impaired functioning, and danger of damaging one’s reputation.
On average, pathological liars in the study were found to tell about 10 lies per day, though this varies per person. Lying causes distress as individuals attempt to justify their ability to do so. Lies grow from smaller lies, indicating elements of compulsiveness. This leads to even more distress.
Overall, the study finds pathological lying to meet the criteria for a mental disorder. Without this recognition, research on this topic will remain limited.
OVERALL CONCLUSIONS:
When researching, I found that there are still very limited sources available over pathological lying. The same goes for compulsive lying. It appears from source 2, this is attributed to a lack of recognizing pathological lying as a mental disorder. Nonetheless, while not much is going to change from the previous response, there are a few details we can add.
Looking at the intro, we can maybe more clearly define pathological lying (using the definition provided in the definitions section). We can also briefly define compulsive lying to make clear the differences, though research on this topic is also limited. This will help the reader better understand their possible condition.
The second paragraph should be kept as it is.
Looking at the third paragraph, we should tie in the information found in source 2 as it is consistent with the concerns over a lack of recognition of pathological lying as a disorder. This way, the reader is kept up to date with what is known to occur with pathological liars.
Adding a new paragraph, we can introduce source 1, which many blogs in my research appeared to reference. By running through the study, the reader can learn how pathological lying is maintained in relation to the brain. Using the source summary will be helpful.
The remaining paragraphs, which appear to be reflective questions/advice, are appropriate for the reader to use. They should be kept.
Notes on research:
There was hardly any research on this topic. Usually, blogs would write on psychological lying in connection to the study summarized in source 1. After researching once again, there have not been any new studies to draw from.