Are you a Compulsive Liar?

Are you a Compulsive Liar?

You might know that as a human being, lying is inevitable. You might have done it as a child to get that toy you liked by making up small excuses or as an adult to skip that family function you didn’t wish to attend. However, pathological lying is a greater deal than just a simple lie that you avail to get your way out of a nasty situation. This type of lying can signify the presence of a mental health concern or more so, a disorder.


Pathological Liars: Meaning

To understand pathological lying, let’s first understand a “lie”. A lie is a false or twisted statement that one makes which is either contrary or not in line with the reality. This statement is made to avoid the repercussions that the truth might have, be it keeping a relationship at stake or saving oneself embarrassment. Occasional lying can fall in this category.

You might have come across people who lie a lot. These people can be a part of your social circle or workspace or sometimes even in the family. What they say doesn’t quite add up to the factual information of the event. Not once or twice but over the time, you might have caught them across multiple occasions. You would often wonder why they lie so much?

Pathological lying is a compulsive habit of lying that one develops which may or may not be with the intention of earning a personal gain. People who are pathological liars have little or no awareness about the fact that they are lying.

Pathological lying also has other synonyms such as “Mythomania”, “Pseudologia Fantastica”.


Pathological liar test: Characteristics of pathological lying

Dealing with pathological liars can be tricky and tough. However, the observation of their behavior can help you identify these patterns. Once these patterns are recognized, it gets easier to deal with them. Here are certain characteristics that can help you identify pathological liars around you.

Most of the times, pathological liars make up stories that sound true but are not necessarily true. An important trait to note and remember is that their lies have 20% of truth, based on which they create an entire story to make themselves the hero or victim of the situation. Doing this makes their whole lie believable. Everything is set up to satiate and fulfil their whims and demands. They are able to think they are better than other individuals in every manner because of their inflated sense of self.

Lying often becomes very unconscious for them. They might snap out of it but by then, the statement would have been made as a result of which they make up another lie to conceal the previous one. It’s not hard to see how a pathological liar’s tale may develop over time given that their falsehoods are numerous, unintentional, and unrecorded. An obvious sign of a pathological liar is that they may relate various versions of the same tale each time they have to recount it since they don’t have a flawless memory

Their lies make them seem like the victim of every situation. In one way or other, they will continuously rewrite history so that their stories elicit pity from their new, unsuspecting targets.


Pathological liars in Relationships

Individuals engaged in a relationship, be it romantic or platonic or even familial, can be tough to deal with if they emit signs of being a pathological liar. You might feel a lack of trust because they would seize every opportunity they get where they can lie, even if there is no need to do so. These people also avoid confrontations and even if the confrontation happens, they will give no answer or would grab the first opportunity they find to escape from that situation. They end up hurting you and others because they easily tend to go in victim mode even when they are the perpetuators.


Are pathological liars narcissistic?

Pathological lying can be a symptom of narcissism. All narcissists are pathological liars, albeit not all pathological liars are narcissistic (i.e., full blown, having narcissistic personality disorder). They all tell themselves lies. They don’t live in reality; thus, it stands to reason that they will also tell you lies. However, many are pure liars who would say anything to get a favor.


Can pathological liars change?

By this point, you might have wondered whether pathological liars can ever change? Well, you can always try talking to them, however it can be tricky. You need to be mentally prepared for their lies coming your way but if you try doing away with the blame game yet build a strong case then you can surpass this level of their lies, consequently, even getting them to be honest with you.

Despite the lack of known cure for pathological lying, the individual can thrive with professional assistance. Their propensity to lie may be caused by prior trauma, unresolved psychological issues, or even other disorders for which they would require the assistance of trained therapists or psychologists. A trained mental health professional would thus help them to understand the underlying causes, become mindful of these patterns and adapt new, healthier patterns of behaving.

Are you a compulsive liar or are you dealing with one? Therapy is a great way to address the condition. Visit www.Ganeshaspeaks.com or download the app now.

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