Republic of the Philippines Laguna State Polytechnic university Los Banns, Laguna CGI 601 Personality Development A Case Study of a Pathological Liar Introduction A pathological liar lies compulsively and impulsively, almost without thinking about the consequences of his action. He/she lies regularly on a spontaneous basis even If he/she gains no benefit from it, or even If he/she traps Into It. A pathological liar cannot control his Impulse to lie and It Is usually a self-defeating trait. These are people who tell Lies when there Is no clear benefit for them to do so.
An Individual who Is not a pathological liar may lie to avoid punishment or ridicule. He or she may be less-than-truthful to avoid hurting someone else. When the problem of lying is at the point where the person is unable to control it, that person is considered to be a pathological liar. Lying. Dissembling. Prevaricating. They are all different labels for versions of the same activity: deliberately misleading others and getting them to believe something that is not true, through words or actions. In some cases, lying can be compulsive and with no apparent reason for it.
That’s what mental health professionals refer to as pathological lying or “Pseudopodia fantastical. ” understanding the Pathological Liar Basically, a pathological liar is someone who tells lies habitually, chronically and compulsively. It has simply become a way of life for this person, to make up things for a variety of reasons and eventually, the truth becomes uncomfortable while weaving whoppers feels right to them. This kind of lying tends to develop early on in life, often as a response to difficult home or school situations that seemed to resolve better if the child lied.
It’s a bad habit, not a manipulative trait;this is how to differentiate a pathological liar from a sociopath who does seek to manipulate. Part of the reason the pathological liar feels compelled to Ill Is because he or she may feel as though being In the spotlight has eluded them. This person feels that he or she should be the center of everyone’s universe and will do what he or she can to make It happen. Upon tasting the spotlight, It becomes self-reinforcing and the Lies grow bigger each time just to keep on being the center of attention. Pathological lying is the personality disorder of my high school classmate.
My teacher, a BBS Psychology graduate once said that my classmate named “Ryan” not his real name, is a Pathological Liar since we were in our secondary level. He always tells lies and creates different stories from day to day. Ryan is now residing in Zebu City. I got his contact details because we are friends in backbone. I interviewed him through Keep – Video Chat. I promised to him that I will not reveal his name for this case study. He had been a liar, pure and simple, since childhood. He is a great liar during our high school days. He lied about little things, like what he had had for dinner the night before.
Like eating in Jollied, though I know for sure that in our place Jollied is around 4 hours away from our city. We do not make any comments against his storytelling because we know that everything he tells are all lies. He also lied simply to impress people and to be the center of attraction. Further, pathological lying is one of the elements that mental health professionals consider in diagnosing psychopaths. “Almost a Psychopath” lying is not limited to full- fledged psychopaths. It is common, to an extent, in the general population, and especially common among those who we describe as “almost psychopaths.
I explained to him the causes or origins of being a pathological liar. I told him that one may develop into a pathological liar because of personality disorder (sociopath, histrionic, narcissistic, or borderline personality), Dysfunctional families, Physical or sexual abuse during childhood, Substance abuse Disorders in impulse control (pathological gambling, kleptomania, compulsive shopping), Neurophysiology abnormalities (learning disabilities, mental retardation, among others) and Suggestible or accommodating personality traits.
Upon hearing the different causes e quickly replied that maybe one of the causes is having a dysfunctional family and being poor. He grew up without a Dad. He always dreamed of having a father. He was also physically and emotionally abused by his classmates in elementary. He is deprived with lot of things during his growth up years. I asked him some personal things like the nature of his work and his family. According to him that at present, he was an executive at a large corporation. He is a master’s degree holder in Business Administration. He lived comfortably in an executive village with his wife and two children.
He has five cars and his wife has a lot of Jewelry collections. His children are all studying in a prestige university in Zebu City. They had settled far away from his mother, siblings, and anyone else who would have known anything about his early life. To his employer and colleagues, he was a personable and talented manager. I was so impressed by his status right now, but I have some cloud of doubts at the back of my mind if he is telling the truth or everything is a lie. I told him that this interview is part of the requirements of my subject in the Personality Development in everything he told me were all lies.
None of it was true. He cannot resist to lie. He is not happy and satisfied if he will stop lying. Currently, he is working as maintenance officer in a small company. He has a small house and has two children studying at a government school. I asked him if he has plans to consult for a Clinical Psychologist or Psychiatrist to have a cure about his manifestations of being a Pathological Liar. He told me that he is trying his best to overcome it. It has been a consistent part of him. For him, telling lies will get people to like and respect him.
Therefore, through his world of lies and imaginations it resulted to having a few friends that he could count on. Nobody would like to be with him because of his disorder. Suggested Treatment/s For a person who is a pathological liar, treatment success varies. It depends on how motivated the liar is to change his or her ways. Some research in this area indicates that the problem of compulsive lying may have a biological component. When it comes to pathological liar treatment, psychotherapy can help. The problem with trying to treat people with this problem is that they often wont or can’t admit that hey have issues around telling the truth.
A “normal” person knows when he or she has lied, but the pathological liar may not be able to differentiate between the truth and a lie. Oftentimes, the pathological liar believes the stories he or she has concocted, no matter how grandiose they may seem to the people around them. If the liar is in a highly-emotional state, he or she may manufacture false memories to support the lies that have been told. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be helpful in treating people who are pathological liars. With this approach to therapy, clients learn how to identify the situations and he kinds of thoughts that make them resort to lying.
Once these people are able to understand when they are likely to lie, they can begin the work of learning how to behave in a different way than in the past. According to the medical practitioners the case of a pathological liar, the person needs to be screened for other personality disorders. If the person is lying due to a psychological issue that can be treated with medications, prescription drugs may be part of the treatment plan. A combination of medication and psychotherapy can help a compulsive liar to stop lying routinely. Conclusion
At this Juncture, I can say that being a Pathological Liar (PL) has several factors that affect his personality disorder. And these factors are personality disorder (sociopath, histrionic, narcissistic, or borderline personality), Dysfunctional families, control (pathological gambling, kleptomania, compulsive shopping), Neurophysiology abnormalities (learning disabilities, mental retardation, among others) and Suggestible or accommodating personality traits. Hence, it is a disease that needs medical attention. Lying should not be taken for granted it should be treated the soonest time possible.
