While going through the theoretical explanations of lying it was found that it was strictly and
seriously studied by many researchers. The term lie literally means a deliberate untruth. Even
though there is no universally accepted definition of lying (Kagan 1998), it is defined in many
ways. The Oxford English Dictionary defines lying as making a false statement deliberately by
someone who knows it is not true (Hawker, 2006). The most commonly accepted definition of
lying that manages to avoid these problems is that a lie is an assertion, the content of which the
speaker believes to be false, which is made with the intention to deceive the hearer with respect
to that content (Williams 2002); or, more formally it is explained as a person lies when he asserts
something to another which he believes to be false with the intention of getting the other to
believe it to be true (Kupfer, 1982)
Dawson in his blog explains four different types of liars. The Occasional liars are those people
who seldom lie. But when they do, they are blown away by their actions and feel guilty for what
they have done. These types of people are the ones who are quick to seek forgiveness from the
person they lied to. The occasional liars are not perfect, but are usually respected for their strong
attempt at being a truthful person, and humble enough to admit their mistakes. If we were all
honest with ourselves, we would have to admit we are at least an occasional liar. The Frequent
liars are those who go about his/her life lying every which way. These types of people were not
concerned about covering their tracks, or making sure their lie makes sense. Everybody knows
these people are lying because they are sloppy with their lies. These persons have very few
friends, because people get sick of his obviously twisted stories. Third type, the smooth liar is
just what their description sounds like this person has become very smooth and skilled at telling
lies. These liars are so good with words and body language people tend to believe them even
when they know they have a reputation of being a liar. Yet, all the time, the smooth liar knows
they are lying. These people are fun to be around, and very entertaining, but after being found
out, the smooth liar tends to move on to others to whom they can apply their dark talents. Fourth
type the compulsive liar lies when they don’t have to, even if telling the truth makes more sense
than the lies they tell. These people have an addiction to lying, and they simply cannot stop.
They are out of control. They spend hours studying situations trying to come up with more lies
that will allow them to maintain all their previous lies. These people are totally untrustworthy
and end up unable to keep friends. A compulsive liar ends up a lonely, sad person who tragically
lies the most to their own self (thehopeline.com).
The psychology of lying can be a complicated concept because people lie for different reasons.
What induces a person to not tell the truth explains the causes for our lying behavior. While
some people lie in an attempt to avoid punishment or to avoid hurting someone else's feelings,
others lie out of impulse or because they want to present themselves as someone they are not.
Motive for lying varies throughout our lifespan period also. During childhood children usually
lies for pleasure and to escape from the punishments of parents or other authoritary figures. As
we get older lying is found to have a survival value. That is we lie to protect ourselves from the
