Blah. Blah. Blah. This is what probably your mind is repeating over and over as you overhear your colleague tell tall tales of his accomplishments. You know better. You have heard the stories over and over that you can have it recorded. You can even finish each sentence for your colleague! You know for a fact that everything he tells about himself to your newly hired colleagues are lies – you saw him work.
But what makes him exaggerate his stories? What makes him add sugar to a bitter pill? You’re correct if you answer – to make it easier to swallow. Why do people lie? In order for an individual to detect that a person is telling a lie, the person needs to understand the psychology of lying to know the reason behind the act. In fact, having knowledge on the psychology of lying can help you become more observant to the different signs of lying, as well as the mentality that comes with it. This is useful in order to avoid being put in a sense of doubt or under emotional stress when you are confronted with it.
In order for an individual to detect that a person is telling a lie, the person needs to understand the psychology of lying to know the reason behind the act.
One of the reasons why a person tells a lie is because of the fear of possible consequences involved when telling the truth. This psychology of lying is quite prevalent in younger generations when they are hiding something sensitive from their friends and family members — opting to tell a lie rather than being punished for telling the truth. It is a sign of escape of possible punishment that comes with the act of telling the truth.
What your colleague was trying to protect in his tall tales is his self-image. Improving their own image in the eyes of their friends and families is one of the reasons why people tell a lie. In order to uplift their social on par with others, a person would often create stories, usually on the spot, to make sure that the other party is kicked out of the limelight. This psychology of lying is just a temporary rise on the social ladder, and will often be replaced with embarrassment when the truth comes out.
Another purpose is to attack other people, indirectly, by telling a lie about them. In fact, this is often seen felt by prominent individuals in the society. In order to lower the status or career of this individual, a person will often create a lie that will put others into a state of doubt regarding their own beliefs and truths.
If you would analyze the abovementioned reasons, all reasons for lying is to aimed to protect the threatened ego. Our personality is said to be made up of 3 components namely, the Id, Ego and the SuperEgo. The Ego is threatened when the person feels incompetent or intimidated by another personality. In order to protect the psyche, the person needs to lie.
Such behavior may be exaggerated to the point of risking being found out later on. But the person will risk that future to get the triumph for the moment. In making up stories, like being the fastest to finish a job than all the workers in the office, or being smarter than the boss, the ego is pacified and the threat seems to dissipate. It is another matter when that person who lied through gritted teeth is found out, especially if its the boss.
Photo by iwona_kellie
