BLOG 221 REASONS TO LIE
To tell a lie, to avoid or not state the truth, to say something that is not accurate, is a behavior that ridicules decision making and questions a person’s character. There are pathological and compulsive liars, and there are those that just tell little lies here and there. Sometimes, understanding why a person lies or why you have even lied requires looking at the perspective through the culprit’s eyes. Here are some reasons people lie when they really don’t need to at all.
1. Avoiding disappointment: The person is worried about losing someone else’s respect. It is human nature to want to be liked, to want to impress others, and to care what other people think. A person might feel the truth could undermine any of these sentiments.
2. The lie matters: A person might lie about going to the grocery store when they really went to the mall because to them this lie matters. For whatever reason, it is important to them that the other party think they went to the store and not the mall.
3. Control: People tell lies because they want to control a situation. In order to get the outcome or reaction they want, a lie is necessary.
4. It’s not a lie to them: Memory tells this person that they are recounting the situation correctly. Their memory is unreliable, so they fill in the blanks with what they believe to actually be true. It is as if the person has created an alternate world in their head that makes them think what they are saying did happen and is true.
5. The person wants what they’re saying to be true: A person might feel that by making a statement or repeating what they want to be true, will actually make it true. Desire and need are human nature, when a person lies it is because to see the world play out how they have imagined it in their mind.
6. Lying becomes a snowball: Repetitive liars often don’t even know they are lying anymore. Sometimes telling one lie, leads to another lie to cover up that lie. The confusion creates more and more lies. They can hardly trust themselves anymore.
The expression that the truth hurts sometimes makes a person lie to be nice or to avoid confrontation. In the end, the truth always prevails and wins. That is why it is the truth. We live in a world with a justice system that we believe should uphold the truth. Therefore, it starts with our moral character and even if it seems like telling a little lie won’t hurt anyone, when the truth surfaces lies usually go back to the teller and are viewed as a negative character defect. Don’t lie to yourself and don’t lie to anyone else….simple.