Pathological deceit - this is what psychologists call the condition of a person who often lies. A pathological liar differs from an ordinary liar in that he is sure of the truth of what was said, and at the same time gets used to the role.
What is pathological deceit?
In the medical and psychological literature, the term "pathological deceit" was described at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes such a mental deviation is called "mythomania" (the term was designated by the French psychologist Ernest Dupre) or "Munchausen's syndrome."
For the average person, a lie is a deliberately declared statement that does not correspond to the truth. But, as strange as it sounds, the pathological liar lies for no reason, just like that. A lie is usually easy to expose, but this does not bother a liar, because he is firmly convinced of the truthfulness of the information said.
Pathological deceit should be seen as part of an underlying psychological personality disorder, rather than a separate disease. It should be noted that this disorder is one of the most controversial subjects in the modern world of psychology.
Reasons for rejection
Most scientists agree that this type of personality arises as a result of a psychiatric illness or extremely low self-esteem. Often a pathological liar tries to make an impression on others, but gets too used to the role.
Often, a similar syndrome occurs in people who have received psychological trauma in childhood. Here are just a few possible reasons for the formation of mythomania during growing up: problems in communication with the opposite sex, lack of attention from parents, constant criticism from other people, unrequited love, etc.
Quite often, such a disorder occurs already at a conscious age as a result of traumatic brain injury.
Is a pathological lie a congenital ailment?
Another very contradictory, but no less interesting hypothesis was put forward by American scientists - they do not become pathological liars, they are born. As a result of research, it has been proven that the brain of a person with "Munchausen syndrome" is very different from the brain of an ordinary person.
In the cerebral cortex of pathological liars, the volume of gray matter (neurons) is reduced by 14% and the volume of white matter (nerve fibers) is increased by an average of 22%. These results also prove that the condition of the frontal part of the brain plays a role in this and many other psychological characteristics of personality.
