Why do we Lie?

A detailed Summary of Why do we Lie?


Oops, I just told a lie. It was a little white lie but still, I lied. Why did I lie? What an interesting thought: Why? After thinking about this most complex question I came up with a variety of reasons why people find justification in lying. Be mindful that most of my thoughts stem from books or articles I have read about the not so honest people living in society.

I know someone who has made bad choices about life that directly affected people close to her and she told lies as a means to escape the reality of those bad choices. When I asked her why she chose to lie about something that impacted someone else in such a profound way, the response was, "Doesn't it make everything easier that my dad never finds out, I am sorry about what I did and I don't want to hurt anyone else."

I am steadfast on my assumption that all lies trace back to the assumption that it will benefit the person who told the lie. Envision a scenario involving the compilation of your resume. Most people are tempted to lie about experience on their resumes to gain the benefits of a better job that they are not


They feed off the exhilaration of altering someone's perception of something by misguiding them, which is in essence what a lie is. This is sometimes a power game for some people whom I feel become unable to differentiate lie from reality.

"Reporter Janet Cooke lied on her resume when she applied to the Washington Post and on a resume she submitted to the Pulitzer Prize committee. This was discovered only after she had won a 1981 Pulitzer for her story about an 8-year-old heroin addict. That led to unmasking an even bigger lie: She had faked the winning story."

From "Lies! Lies!!, Lies!!! : The psychology of deceit" by Professor Charles Ford,

Some people lie because they have accustomed themselves to that and even they can't tell lie from reality sometimes. I feel that some people really do lie to feel power.



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Approximate Word count = 736
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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