Pathological lying
(also called pseudologia fantastica and mythomania)
is a behavior of habitual or compulsive lying.
It was first described in the medical literature in 1891
by Anton Delbrueck. ... Individuals may be aware they
are lying, or may believe they are telling the truth.
I knew one of these kinds of people ... I worked for a company that made you take a lie detector test every three months. This one employee would tell lies about how his father was a race car driver and other outlandish stories. So when it came time for his first test we all just knew that he would fail.
I had a pretty good relationship with the boss so I asked him if he failed and he said, "no" he passed. In other words a pathological lair can believe his own lies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathological_lying
Quote:
Lying is the act of both knowingly and intentionally or willfully making a false statement.
Most people do so out of fear.
Normal lies are defensive and are told to avoid the consequences of truth telling. They are often white lies that spare another's feelings, reflect a pro-social attitude, and make civilized human contact possible.
Pathological lying is considered a mental illness, because it takes over rational judgment and progresses into the fantasy world and back.
Pathological lying can be described as a habituation of lying.
|