22 Types of LIES

  • Jul 26, 2021
click fraud protection
Types of lies

The lie has thousands of faces and as many purposes. Sometimes it represents a huge obstacle, a "bug" to be recognized and avoided, or other times a salvific and harmless "ace up the sleeve". It has happened to all of us to tell some small or big lie, surely to get out of trouble or avoid hurting people we love. Be that as it may, we have all lied at times and we have learned that this has consequences.

In this Psychology-Online article we want to delve into the subject by seeing together what are the different types of lies, the characteristics of each of them and examples of situations in which lies are often used.

You may also like: 15 types of friends

Index

  1. Authentic or shameless lie
  2. Exaggeration
  3. Deceptive lie
  4. Utilitarian lie
  5. Compensatory lie
  6. Omission
  7. Concealment
  8. False confirmation
  9. Denial
  10. Masking
  11. The white lie
  12. Additive lie
  13. Defamatory or defamatory lies
  14. Translation lie
  15. Shameless lie
  16. Big lie
  17. Lantern
  18. Parting lie
  19. Elusion
  20. Manufacturing
  21. Honest lie
  22. Pathological lie

Authentic or shameless lie.

Called "forgery" by Paul Ekman, American psychologist and pioneer in the study of non-verbal communication. It's one of the kinds of lies where

what is communicated is totally different from the truth. For example, a husband who tells his wife that he has been playing poker while instead spending the night with his mistress is blatantly lying; Or a teenager who tells his mother that he has been studying all afternoon when all she has done is play PlayStation.

There is counterfeiting when we try to make something that is not true appear real, such as bear false witness or give someone a false alibi. Also part of this typology are all the false expressions that we create in an attempt to hide our feelings, such as, for example, false smiles, false stupor, etc.

Exaggeration.

What is the lie? A well-known one are exaggerations, that is, lies in which facts are exalted or downplayed. It is not about invented healthy plant situations, but rather an amplification of what has happened or a trivialization of it. For example, it can be shown that he is sicker than he really is to have the attention of relatives or to hold the partner responsible and keep him by their side.

Sometimes exaggeration is used as tactic to dismantle an accusation. For example, if an employee is accused by the office manager of being too slow, he may sarcastically reply that "it's true, he doesn't do anything!"

Deceptive lie.

Lies come in many forms. Specifically, the deceptive lie consists of truthful statements that are intended to mislead. For example, when former United States President Bill Clinton was making a public statement on 1998 on the well-known Lewinsky case, when she said, "I didn't have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."

The lie was subtle because this sentence played on a linguistic ambiguity. Indeed, Clinton stated verbatim not that there had been no sexual outpouring between them, but that the relationship had not been complete. A variant of this type of lie is deviate speech or omit important details.

Utilitarian lie.

There are many types of liars. In this case, the utilitarian lie is used to control an uncomfortable situation, that is, a lie that is told for purely selfish reasons, to take advantage or to avoid a nuisance or a punishment.

Compensatory lie.

If you wonder what types of lies exist, one of them is the compensatory lie. It is noted when the subject tries to create an image around him that does not reflect the real one: rich or prestigious family origin, past love experiences, school or sports results, etc. This attitude can be considered normal up to the age of six. Beyond this age it is representative of a situation of pathological discomfort to be taken seriously into account.

Omission.

One of the common types of lies. It can be partial: it is the case that the truth is told, but not allto the true. Often the criticality of an information can be delimited in few details, omitting which the information loses its problematicity.

In other cases, the omission may be total, that is, one pretends not to know, to have forgotten or to having chosen not to say because of having considered the information irrelevant. Perhaps it is the kind of lie where it is easiest to deny intention.

Types of Lies - Omission

Concealment.

One of the types of lies in children we find when it comes to hide evidence of acrime. For example, some children who keep bad grades for days in their backpack waiting for their parents do not ask for it, or some adolescents who hide a fine when it is extremely salty.

False confirmation.

Consists in confirm a fact not knowing it in part or totally, maybe just to endorse what someone says we want to favor. One of the examples of this type of lies would be when we want someone to like us and we tell them what they want to hear, even if deep down we do not agree.

Denial.

Without a doubt, another of the most common types of lies is denial. It happens when we try to disprove true news. We try to make believe that a true fact is not true because it hurts us in some way. For example, in the case of adolescents, they may state that they have not yet taken an exam when their parents ask them, even if they have.

Masking

What are the different types of lies? One of them is masking. It corresponds in a way to the compensatory lie, in which it tries to pretend what it really is not. If you catch someone when he does it, in this article, we will tell you how to act when a person lies to you.

Types of lies - Masking

The white lie.

This is how lies are defined to do good, that is, that are said to avoid displeasing others, and venials, which are said to justify a forgetfulness, a delay or to answer children when they ask embarrassing questions.

The lies that are told about Santa Claus, the stork, the horrible dress of our friend are part of this category. the one that we say suits you very well, the intangible potato omelette cooked by your mother-in-law whom we always congratulate, etc.

Types of Lies - The White Lie

Additive lie.

This type of lie gives a great person a reputation far superior to his due in order to pursue some good end or purpose. It refers to the situations in which a lie is told and maintained to achieve concrete benefits. To find out if someone does, in this article, we show you how to know if a person is lying because of their gestures.

Defamatory or defamatory lies.

It's a kind of lie that robs a great person of his or her rightful reputation for fear of using it to the detriment of the public. Slanderous lies are used to create rumors of a person and create a bad image of it.

Types of lies - Defamatory or defamatory lies

Translation lie.

We continue with more types of lies. This in particular occurs when the merit of a good deed is transferred from one subject to another, more meritorious, or transfers the misfortune of a bad action of the true author to another, less meritorious. For example, when a person knows that he has made a mistake and blames someone else. Discover what is guilt in psychology.

Shameless lie.

It is a lie to have a straight face and sincere voice and body language, but it is considered a obvious lie to those who hear it. One of the examples of outright lies would be when someone tells you something and you know it is not true. In this article, you will see what to do when they lie to you and you know the truth.

Types of Lies - Blatant Lie

Big lie.

A lie that try to convince the listener of a great event or act, generally contradicted, so that the listener knows it to be true. Since the lie is generally "big", it is hard for the listener to believe that someone would lie about something so big. That is why he is often deceived, an unconscious mechanism that, nevertheless, explains many deceptive situations that, to a rational observation, seem absurd.

Lantern.

The lantern is pretend you have an intention or skill that you don't have. The bluff is not really considered a lie from most people's point of view. Most of us consider bluffing more like a simulation or a tactic to confuse people. The classic example is cheating at poker.

Farewell lie.

These kinds of lies are used for end conversations in a polite way without being completely sincere, such as responding to a message saying, "Sorry, the manager called me." People use it when they want to leave somewhere and do not know how to do it without looking bad to others.

Types of Lies - Farewell Lie

Elusion.

If we talk about types of lies, avoidance is a way of not revealing the truth or not fully revealing what is believed or what is your opinion. This type of lie is generally used when you want to avoid revealing your opinions on taboo subjects such as sex, death, frequent topics in social debates, etc.

Manufacturing.

A lie that is used to complete a story that corresponds in part to the truthIn other words, to intensify the effect of history itself, invented parts are manufactured. Manufacturing lies are very useful to decorate stories and make them more impressive.

Honest lie.

A lie that vaguely describes the story and / or events narrated when you are convinced that they are the truth, that is, you are telling a lie but you are convinced that it is the truth.

One of the types of lies that can be told, for example, when an episode is poorly remembered, or when statements or information from others are reported. In the age of social media and fake news it is a widely practiced lie.

Pathological lie.

Also known as compulsive lying, it is a characteristic feature of the behavior of people who tend to lie continuouslyeven when it is not necessary. These kinds of lies generally afflict very self-centered and narcissistic people, who need to always be in the center of attention.

Pathological lying tends, in its most acute forms, to degenerate into psychological pathology, like mythomania and the megalomania. If you know someone like that, in this article, you will find information about how to help a compulsive liar.

Types of lies - Pathological lie

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of lies, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

Bibliography

  • James, R. (2019). Sai quanti sono i tipi di bugie ?. Recovered from: https://www.area51editore.com/blog/sai-quanti-sono-i-tipi-di-bugie
  • Pacori, M. (2012). Il linguaggio della menzogna. Milan: Sperling & Kupfer.
  • Romani, V. (2010). Scacco Alle Bugie. Come Scovare le Bugie, Smascherare Chi Mente e Limitare i Danni. Rome: Bruno Editore.
  • Swift, J. (2013). L'arte della menzogna politics and altri scritti. Paris: Bureau De La Revue.
instagram viewer