Lies and Destruction · Thursday December 31, 2009 by Julie
People might lie because
1. They’re mischevous and think it’s interesting.
2. They’re protecting themselves from the consequences of their actions.
3. They’re protecting somebody else.
4. They’re hoping to re-write reality to illustrate a cherished belief.
5. They’re hoping for power, financial gain, or social status.
I suspect that most lies include most of these elements.
However, the motivation going in is usually not the consequence that comes out.
If the lie is found out, one unwanted consequence is loss of face, both in the eyes of others and, more importantly, to one’s own well-being. Other consequences to social and relationship glue are obvious.
If the lie is not found out, there are unwanted consequences as well. Most liars aren’t fully able to “cover.” The people around them puzzle over discrepancies and either try to re-shape their own instinctive responses to things in order to accommodate this new “information,” or have to live with an unexplained sense of wrongness. The larger the lie, the more work people have to do in order to reconcile their perception with what the liar presents as true. In that case, if the lie is ever found out, the consequences to the liar are even less healthy.
