Pathological Lying: Unmasking the Deceptive Mind

Definitions and research about pathological lying has existed in psychiatric and psychology circles for over a century. The odd and annoying phenomenon of fabricating attracts interest. Most people know at least one habitual liar—an uncle, a boss, an in-law. We listen, we roll our eyes, we move on; unless, of course, they are an intimate part of our daily lives, then their disgusting dishonesty wreaks havoc on our own functioning.

Fibbing isn’t uncommon, science suggests majority of us let a few whoppers pass through our lips—daily. Yet, there is a small but notable percentage of people that take falsification to an extreme. Their pervasive deceptions swell beyond occasional self-serving manipulation of facts become pathological. These prevaricators lose contact with reality (or purposely choose to). Extreme fabrication impacts life, draining vitality from wellness. In a crazed defunct reality, the liar hurts themselves and those around them.

Introduction: The Impulsive Need to Lie

I expected pathological lying to have a DSM-V classification—it doesn’t. Pathological lying is, however, a characteristic of many DSM diagnoses. Unfortunately, without a unifying definition research is sparse and divided. Understandably, relying on self-reporting from pathological liars would, perhaps, lead to skewed data.  Further complicating the matter, treatment, similar to pathological narcissism, has negligible success. It is simply hard to grow in fabricated realities.

We must live with liars in our families, employment, and in prominent political positions. Naively, we believe we can cure them. We can’t.  If we catch an insidious liar red-handed, holding the stolen goods, obviously guilty, we can’t expect an apology. They ignore the obvious, create a stupid myth, and then challenge our sanity by gaslighting us into confusing self doubt.

​​Early Observations of Pathological Lying

Pathological lying has been referred to as pseudologia fantastica, mythomania, and deception syndrome. Pseudologia fantastica originally appeared in  1891 when a German physician, ​Anton Delbrück, observed that some of his patients told lies that were significantly abnormal and disproportionate to reality.

​​Is it Lying or Pseudologia Fantastica?

Pathological lying is typically defined with several core elements: a long history, frequent and repeated with no apparent psychological motive or external benefit and impairs healthy functioning.

John Birtchnell wrote:

“For pathological liars, lying is a compulsive habit. They probably started to lie out of a fear of others getting to know them too well. They come to lie automatically and without thinking. They tell one lie to cover up another, and another to cover up that, and reach a point where they cannot remember what is true and what is not. Some create an entirely false life story by which they live” (Birtchnell, 2004).

​Drew A Curtis and Christian L. Hart suggest a definition that includes, “persistent, pervasive, and often compulsive patterns of lying behavior that leads to clinically significant impairment of functioning in social, occupational, or other areas; causes marked distress; poses a risk to the self and others; and occurs for longer than six months” (Curtis & Hart, 2020).

Pseudologia fantastica is “significantly different than mere lying,” explains the authors of a 2018 paper on the topic. Lying involves three main elements: “awareness of the false statement, intent to deceive, and a preconceived goal or purpose.” Pseudologia fantastica is “disproportionate falsifications that may be extensive and complicated, present over a period of years or a lifetime, and with no external gain or motive (Frierson  & Joshi, 2018).

​​Why Do We Lie?​

Lying, even among pervasive fibsters, is not the same. Indeed, people lie for complex reasons. Some lies are conscious manipulations, others habitual defenses.

​​Lying Provides an Immediate Reward

Curtis and Hart recruited 623 people to complete a questionnaire about lying behavior. They concluded, “pathological lying exists in a small percentage of people, for whom it causes significant distress, impaired functioning, and danger.” Among their research subjects, 13% considered themselves or others considered them as pathological liars.  Based on Curtis and Hart’s definition, we would expect that pathological liars are a much smaller group than 13% of the population.

Pathological liars are not the only liars. Many people suffer from habitual and chronic fibbing. Charles C. Dike wrote, “Lying behaviors that mimic pathological lying have been described in certain personality disorders and in factitious disorder” (Dike, 2008).

​The passive-aggressive attack often incorporates poor me narratives that conveniently reorder facts to create a narrative designed to elicit sympathy. These narratives range from simple to full on phantom diseases. There is also the mythologist that creates stories, presented as fact, but have grown to ginormous fibs.

Habitual lying, no matter the definition, typically share the characteristic of immediate small rewards in exchange for long term growth. Whether flagrant whoppers or simply blurring of reality, when told often enough, we lose contact with reality—growth and relationships suffer. Our growth, actualization, and connection all require consistent interaction with truth—the facts. When our realities become the work of a professional mythologist, our judgement wanes, we lose a continuous sense of self, and our unpredictability prevents intimacy.

Cause of Pathological Lying

Like most psychological disorders, the exact cause of pathological lying are complex.

Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith S. Wiley explain:

“Like the research on malnutrition, the research on genetics leads to the conclusion that none of these factors in isolation causes negative outcomes. Rather, it is the interaction of biological variables with environmental variables that results in prosocial or antisocial outcomes” (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 2014).

However, several factors may contribute:

• Personality Disorders: Conditions like antisocial, narcissistic, or histrionic personality disorder may lead to frequent lies, including pathological lying.
• Biopsychosocial Model: Some researchers propose a biopsychosocial-developmental model to explain this behavior. It considers a blend of biological, psychological, and social factors.
• Brain Injury: In some cases, brain injuries or abnormalities might play a role.
• Low Self-Esteem: Issues related to self-esteem could contribute to compulsive lying.

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Remember, pathological lying often starts in adolescence and persists for years, affecting various aspects of life.

​​Lying to Ourselves

Martha Beck wrote in her popular book Finding Your Own North Star that in all her interviews regarding the nature of the subjects addictions is they all had one thing in common. She reports that they all “lied to themselves.” Beck notes that this pervasive characteristic was beyond just lying about their addictive behavior. She concludes that the lying paved the way for the addictions. They hadn’t become “liars because they were addicts; on the contrary, they’d turned to addictions because they’d been telling themselves lies, often since childhood” (Beck, 2008, p. 151).

Robert Trivers suggests that lying to ourselves may contribute to our effectiveness of deceiving others.

Trivers argued:

“False emotions are more convincing when the deceiver is able to deceive himself of his sincerity.” This, Trivers claimed, may be the basis of the evolution of self-deception. The ability to deceive one self that they am not deceiving someone is an advantage. Lying while at the same time denying it to one self is a kind of double lying, a particularly effective strategy.

The individual may maintain that something is, or is not the case, and really believe this to be so, even when the evidence suggests otherwise. It is possible that there is a degree of self-deception in almost all acts of deception in order to make deceiving possible, or easier to do (Birtchnell, 2004, p. 198).

The next time you listen to a politician lying with conviction, you may consider they are also lying to themselves. Their life is such a lie that they present themselves as they artfully conceive themselves to be, even when facts strongly suggest the whole act is a charade. Such people are very dangerous.

Associated Concepts

• Deception in Nature: Deception is not solely a human practice but a common behavior across all living species in nature.
• Dark Triad Personalities: These refer to three socially aversive personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These traits are characterized by self-centeredness, manipulativeness, callousness, and a lack of empathy. Individuals displaying these traits often pursue their own interests at the expense of others and may exhibit a disregard for ethical and moral considerations.
• Social Skills: These refer to the abilities and behaviors that enable individuals to interact effectively with others in various social situations. These skills include communication, active listening, empathy, teamwork, conflict resolution, and the ability to understand and navigate social cues.
• Moral Reasoning: This concept refers to a cognitive process of integrating moral and ethical elements into a decision or behavior.
• Integrity: This character trait involves making decisions and behaving in ways that align with personal values and principles. Integrity implies choosing values even when pressure to act otherwise is intense.
• AMORAL Model of Dark Creativity: This model explores the complex interplay of antecedents, mechanisms, and operant that gives rise to creativity’s darker manifestations. It delves into the realization, aftereffects, and legacy of dark creativity, offering insight into the intricate dynamics and ethical dimensions of inventive endeavors.
• Moral Disengagement Theory: This theory, developed by Albert Bandura, explores cognitive mechanisms enabling individuals to rationalize and justify unethical actions. It delves into mental processes used to disengage from moral standards.

A Few Words by Psychology Fanatic

Our fantastic fictional world prevents real achievement. However, liars are not always failures. Some succeed in stunning fashion. They fool themselves and pull countless others into their web of deceit. American lore has always graciously looked upon the motivational aphorism “fake it ‘til you make it,” however, some “fake it” so well they never are motivated to actually “make it.”

While this exposé will have little impact on the pathological liar, hopefully, some of us less prolific liars will take a few minutes to examine our communications (with others and ourselves). Consequently, our examinations often motivate realigning of objectives, courageous facing of the truth, and abandoning ego-protecting fabrications so we can get back to  building better relationships and better lives.

Last Update: January 3, 2026

References:

Beck, Martha (2008). Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. Harmony; Reprint edition. ISBN-10: 0812932188
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Birtchnell, John (2004). The Two of Me: The Rational Outer Me and the Emotional Inner Me. Psychology Press; 1st edition. ISBN: 9781138877474; DOI: 10.4324/9780203501979
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Curtis, D. A. & Hart, C. L. (2020) Pathological Lying: Theoretical and Empirical Support for a diagnostic Entity. Psychiatry Online. DOI: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20190046
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Dike, Charles C. (2008) Pathological Lying: Symptom or Disease. Psychiatric Times. Website: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/pathological-lying-symptom-or-disease
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Frierson, Richard L., Joshi, Kaustubh G. (2018) Implications of Pseudologia Fantastica in Criminal Forensic Evaluations: A Review and Case Report. Journal of Forensic Sciences 63.3  976-979. DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13616
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Karr-Morse, Robin; Wiley, Meredith S. (2014). Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence. Atlantic Monthly Press; 1st edition. ISBN-10: 0802196330
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