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Objective:Pathological lying, originally called “pseudologia phantastica,” has an established history within clinical practice and literature, although it has not been recognized as a psychological disorder within major nosological systems. With the movement in psychological sciences toward theory-driven, empirically supported diagnoses, the current study sought to empirically test whether pathological lying aligned with nosological definitions and could be defined as a diagnostic entity.Methods:A total of 807 people were recruited (January to October of 2019) from various mental health forums, social media, and a university. Of those recruited, 623 completed the study. Participants responded to a lie frequency prompt, questionnaires about lying behavior, the Lying in Everyday Situations Scale, the Distress Questionnaire-5, and demographic questions.Results:Of the participants, 13% indicated that they self-identified or that others had identified them as pathological liars (telling numerous lies each day for longer than 6 months). People who identified as pathological liars reported greater distress, impaired functioning, and more danger than people not considered pathological liars. Pathological lying seemed to be compulsive, with lies growing from an initial lie, and done for no apparent reason.Conclusions:The evidence supports establishment of pathological lying as a distinct diagnostic entity. A definition of pathological lying, etiological considerations, and recommendations for future research and practice are presented.

Pathological lying has been studied for over a century, but only recently validated diagnostic criteria were developed that consider the frequency, pervasiveness, and chronicity of lying, along with the distress, dysfunction, and risks of danger caused by lying. Using these new criteria, we crafted a set of survey items aimed at measuring those features. In study 1, we carried out exploratory factor analyses that confirmed a three-factor model for our resultant 19-item Pathological Lying Inventory (PLI). In study 2, we validated the PLI against several measures, demonstrating the scores on the PLI are associated with frequent, pervasive, and chronic lying, psychological distress, social dysfunction, and negative life outcomes. In study 3, we conducted a test-retest reliability analysis of the PLI over two weeks, demonstrating that the PLI has high test-retest reliability. Finally, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the three-factor structure of the PLI. We believe that the PLI will offer researchers and clinicians a brief and valid tool for assessing the degree to which people exhibit patterns of pathological lying.

While lying and other strategic forms of deception are commonplace in social interactions, dishonesty is difficult to detect. Researchers have attempted to increase deception detection accuracy by exploring how behavior changes when people lie. This body of research has revealed few consistent behavioral changes that occur when people lie. Several studies have also examined people's beliefs about deceptive behavior, with much of that research showing that people hold many incorrect beliefs about how liars behave. Thus, the known behavioral cues of lying are limited, and most people hold false beliefs about valid indicators of lying. This study aimed to add clarity by asking liars themselves to report the behavioral tactics and techniques they use when lying. In an exploratory descriptive analysis, 228 participants described the verbal and non-verbal behavioral tactics they use to tell convincing lies. Their responses were categorized by independent raters who found that most reported strategies fell into a small number of categories. A second group of 198 participants then reported the frequency with which they used each of those tactics. The results provide insights into the self-reported tactics people use to tell lies.

Deception is an extensively researched cross-disciplinary subject with limited assessments. Literature has revealed a difference in attitudes toward deception based on the perspective that one holds (liar or dupe). The Others' Deception Attitude Measure (ODAM) was developed to assess attitudes that people hold toward others who are deceptive. The purpose of the current study was to assess the psychometric properties of the ODAM. We recruited 149 participants who completed the ODAM and several other measures. Our results provide initial reliability and validity for the 17-item ODAM.

Deception researchers have developed various scales that measure the use of lying in specific contexts, but there are limited tools that measure the use of lies more broadly across the various contexts of day-to-day life. We developed a questionnaire that assesses the use of various forms of lying, including protecting others, image enhancement, saving face, avoiding punishment, vindictiveness, privacy, entertainment, avoiding confrontation, instrumental gain, and maintaining and facilitating relationships. The results of a factor analysis brought our original 45-item scale down to a two-dimensional, 14-item scale that we have titled the Lying in Everyday Situations (LiES) scale. In three studies, the concurrent validity of the scale was assessed with several domain-specific lying scales, two Machiavellianism scales, a social desirability scale, and reports of actual lie frequency over a 24-hour period. The scale was also assessed for interitem consistency (Cronbach’s α) and test-retest reliability. We found that the LiES scale was a reliable and valid measure of lying. The LiES scale may be a useful tool for assessing the general tendency to lie across various contexts.

The damaged goods hypothesis posits that female performers in the adult entertainment industry have higher rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), psychological problems, and drug use compared to the typical woman. The present study compared the self-reports of 177 porn actresses to a sample of women matched on age, ethnicity, and marital status. Comparisons were conducted on sexual behaviors and attitudes, self-esteem, quality of life, and drug use. Porn actresses were more likely to identify as bisexual, first had sex at an earlier age, had more sexual partners, were more concerned about contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and enjoyed sex more than the matched sample, although there were no differences in incidence of CSA. In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction, and spirituality compared to the matched group. Last, female performers were more likely to have ever used 10 different types of drugs compared to the comparison group. A discriminant function analysis was able to correctly classify 83% of the participants concerning whether they were a porn actress or member of the matched sample. These findings did not provide support for the damaged goods hypothesis.

In the psychological research literature, deception is often discussed as a ubiquitous phenomenon. However, recent research has revealed that the mean of two lies per day is highly misleading due to a skewed distribution, with most people telling zero lies on any given day. We sought to explore how the presentation of statistics on lie frequency affects understandings of lie frequency, veracity judgments, behavioral intentions, beliefs about others' propensity to lie, suspicion, and attitudes. In Study 1, 176 participants were randomly exposed to two explanations of deception research findings that either described lying as ubiquitous or not. Results revealed that the differing explanations of lie frequency did not produce significance differences on the dependent measures. In Study 2, 114 participants were randomly assigned to watch a video of a researcher discussing one of three deception literature prompts. Results indicated that a more nuanced presentation of the skewed distribution of lie frequency led participants to believe that lying is less ubiquitous, but had no effect on veracity judgments, behavioral intention, beliefs about others' propensity to lie, suspicion, and attitudes. Implications and considerations for reporting lie frequency are discussed.

In this study, we investigated therapists’ beliefs about indicators of deception and attitudes toward client deception. We recruited interns and licensed psychologists from various accredited internship sites. They completed a demographics questionnaire, the Detection of Deception Questionnaire, and the Therapist Attitudes Toward Deception measure. The questionnaires measured therapists’ beliefs and attitudes towards client deception. The results indicated that therapists possessed a small number of accurate beliefs about indicators of deception and held a number of negative attitudes toward deceptive clients. Findings also revealed that therapists reported being deceptive with clients. Implications for training and practice are discussed.

In this study, men and women were surveyed about their attitudes toward the use of white lies and other forms of benevolent deception in their romantic relationships. We predicted that people would be more accepting of telling lies than of having lies told to them. Furthermore, we predicted that women would be more accepting than men of benevolent deception in their romantic relationships. We found that people were more tolerant of telling benevolent lies than they were of being told such lies. However, we found that men, not women, were more accepting of benevolent deception in their relationships.

There is a paucity of research on individuals who perform in x-rated films because this group of actors represents a difficult-to-access population. The current study used a discovery oriented qualitative methodology to examine the responses of 105 male actors in the adult entertainment industry regarding the motivations for becoming involved in the pornography industry. The results indicated that there were nine reasons that emerged from the data with the most frequent responses being money, sex, and social interactions. The results provide insight from a large sample of actors on why they chose to become involved in the pornography industry and represent a step in better understanding the characteristics and attributes of individuals in the adult entertainment industry.