To lie, to lie, to deceive, to tell a lie - is it the same thing or not, what is the difference between these words and concepts?

If you don’t know whether lying and deceiving are the same thing or not, then read the article. It describes the explanation, contains synonyms and quotations from the literature.

The ability to tell the truth is highly valued by society. But quite often a lie brings its own bonuses. Even in the elementary grades of school, a child understands that if he skipped class or got a bad grade, then he shouldn’t tell his parents about it. Instead, it is better to take a page out of the diary or tell the teacher that the parents are on a business trip and cannot come to the meeting.

Read another article on our website on the topic: “How to draw an optical illusion - an optical illusion on paper with a pencil . You will find DIY 3D drawings that are an optical illusion for beginners.

Why do people constantly lie and deceive? What is the difference between these words? Find answers to these and other questions in the article below. Read on.

Why do people constantly lie and deceive?

People constantly lie and deceive.
People are driven by the fear of receiving a fair punishment. He lies to protect himself. This continues into adulthood. For example, a husband can mask the consequences of drinking with friends in the garage, and a wife can hide the presence of a lover, lie about being late at a friend’s place or at work, etc. So why do people constantly lie and deceive?

One way or another, lies are used in several cases:

A person is afraid of punishment and unpleasant consequences - and that is why he carefully hides and keeps silent about the truth. Plus, he comes up with “fantastic stories” to divert suspicion from himself.

A person wants to get something (material component) - another reason for deception. The seller understands perfectly well that his product is not as ideal as the advertisement says. But he needs to sell this thing. That is why he will lie to the buyer and say that this is the best thing on earth that has no analogues. Of course, a person will later find out about the disadvantages. But not every buyer will return the item back and demand money. Many people read the characteristics on the Internet and negative reviews and give up - they say, it’s their own fault. I should have looked right away.

The habit of lying - just as kleptomaniacs, even if they have money, cannot help but steal something from a store, so pathological liars cannot help but lie. They definitely need to distort the truth and invent non-existent facts.

One way or another, a person lies, lies, deceives solely because telling the truth in a given situation is unprofitable for him. The desire to improve one’s position is the motivator that forces one to “get confused in testimony,” shield oneself and deceive others.

So is it still untrue or a lie?

Untruths are also sometimes compared to lies. Under no circumstances should this be done. A liar, just like a deceiver, tries to meaningfully confuse and distort the truth, and evade responsibility. Of course, the liar is spinning around as if in a frying pan not with good intentions, but again to hide from retribution or to deceive when trying to steal and, even worse, to lead on the wrong trail. But untruth is just harmless chatter of dreamers. Although speaking untruthfully in religion can be interpreted as a great sin.

Are lies and deception the same thing?

Many people believe that the words “lie ” and “deception” are synonymous. In fact, this is not entirely true, it is not the same thing.

A lie is something that is not true. For example, we say that Alexander the Great was born in 1987 . This is a clear lie and distortion of facts. But at the same time, no one thinks about the purpose for which a person lies, whether he does it on purpose or simply does not know the real date of birth of the commander.

In other words, a lie may simply be unreliability. It does not always involve the desire to mislead and selfish motives.

Deception is already a deliberate effort to throw dust in a person’s eyes. The liar is well aware of what he is doing. But he has his own motives. Also, deception is not only words, but also actions.

A deceiver is not just a person who tells a lie. This is a schemer and schemer who plays according to a certain scheme.

Pathological lying and its causes

The main character of the film “Liar, Liar” has a specific style of communication - he lies to everyone without exception and often unnecessarily. Does a loved one or acquaintance do the same? You are probably dealing with a pathological liar. Let's look at the psychological origins of this behavior.

What is pathological lying

Pathological lying is a psychological condition in which a person feels an irresistible and not always conscious need to lie. This behavior is most often dictated by the desire to prove one’s own importance to the outside world.

A pathological liar tends to give false information and make up various fantastic stories about:

fictional events;
non-existent successes and achievements;
adventures from my own life.

Gradually the person gets used to the role, begins to believe in what is said and does not recognize his own lies. He is confident that he is right, even if the story about a particular event is constantly changing.

The diagnosis of “pathological lying” does not exist in modern clinical psychiatry and psychology. However, behavior in which a person constantly lies for no apparent benefit is considered a serious personality disorder.

In some cases, pathological lies are designated by the term “pseudology fiction” or “mythomania.” The latter was introduced into use by the French psychiatrist Ernest Dupre. He believed that such a disorder could occur in both children and adults. Recognizing a lie is usually not difficult. Regardless of the age of a liar, his main manifestations are:

distortion of the truth;
constant lies and inventions;
pretense.

What is Pathological Lying: Pexels

What are the causes of pathological lying?

It often manifests itself in adults as a reaction to childhood trauma or the costs of upbringing. Very often, harmless childhood fantasies develop into adult pathological lies due to total parental control.

Lack of attention from adults, lack of affection, humiliation of dignity, excessive criticism, and violence can lead to the same result. According to coach and psychologist Victoria Kaylin, in order to appear better or to repress painful memories, the child begins to invent a new identity for himself.

A person can become a pathological liar for other reasons. The most common of them:

Presence of addiction. Alcoholics and drug addicts often lie to people to hide their problem.
Features of the structure of the brain. The volume of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex of pathological liars is less than that of normal people. This part of the brain is responsible for morality and remorse.
Low self-esteem. Subconsciously, mythomaniacs consider the truth not attractive enough. By telling a lie, they want to appear better than they really are, and thereby earn everyone’s respect, admiration, and love.
Personality disorders and other psychological problems.

Mythomania can manifest itself as a symptom of narcissism, borderline and bipolar disorder, sociopathy or, for example, attention deficit disorder combined with hyperactivity. Mythomania can also be provoked by organic brain damage or traumatic brain injury.

Pathological Lying: Reasons: Pexels

Lying and lying: what is the difference, what is lying?

Lying and lying
Lying is a concept close to deception. Moreover, lies are often called big and systematic lies, rather than small ones.

Examples:

Oksana regularly lied to her husband that she was late at work. And behind his back she met with Peter - a systematic action that has major consequences.
Son, why didn't you eat? – Mom, I ate everything – Why are you lying to me? It is clear that no one touched the pan - the action is single, it does not carry any consequences.
I had to lie about being sick. Although, in reality, I just didn’t prepare for the math test (lie).
I'm tired of your constant lies! Can't I see what's going on? This is the second year you have been telling me that you are studying at the institute. But I called the dean's office. They said that you had been expelled for a long time and had not attended classes for more than a year. At the same time, you take my pocket money and say that it’s for food at the university. Where do you spend it and why? - systematic lies.

It turns out that the difference between lies and lies is that a lie is a small lie. It happens only once, and may not happen again. And lying is a cycle of lies that is systematic.

When we were dating, he lied to me about being the son of an Arab sheikh. He told me that he was very rich, that he was born in a palace with golden columns. But in fact, he is not an Arab at all, but an ordinary Armenian. He sells shawarma at the station and is as tall as a falcon. How could I trust him? (lies).
“I'm sorry, I had to lie to you. In fact, I am not 19 years old, but 10 years older. I knew I looked younger and I thought you wouldn't suspect anything. But the thing is, I really love you. I just thought that if I was much older, you would be scared and not want a relationship with me. You are only 18. And your parents would not be delighted that you are in love with a man who is almost 30. Therefore, I realized that lying would be the only way out of the situation” - “No, lying is the worst thing, what could it be. It would be better if you told me the truth! It wouldn't affect our relationship anyway. And so, now I don’t know if I can trust you.”

Now you know the difference between the concepts of “lie” and “lying” . Below is even more interesting information. Read on.

The difference between deception and lying: what is the difference between these concepts?

As in the case of lies, lying is a more critical, systematic concept. But deception can be isolated. Moreover, lies involve self-interest and, possibly, negative consequences. Deception can be one-time and even harmless. There is also a gradation of deception: self-deception, tactical deception, verbal deception, deception in the game, etc. This is the difference and difference between these concepts.

My grandfather went to war at the age of 15. He had to give himself 3 years to be taken to the front - a single deception . So, after this incident, the protagonist’s grandfather could live a long life without ever lying to anyone again.
Don't even think about going for an interview with this company. Their stories about high salaries and bonus systems are lies. In fact, instead, you will run around the city for days, offering everyone windows and doors from a low-quality manufacturer that no one needs. And people will swear and tell you to go to hell - all because they already know that these are scammers. And you may not get any money at all. It's all a lie .
Of course, I fooled myself into thinking that I could sing. But when my uncle, a teacher at a music school, accidentally heard me, he said that not everything was lost - supposedly, I had a voice, but I needed to work a little on my hearing. Lies .
I'm tired of your lies! Do you even tell the truth sometimes? This is a lie.

Below is some more interesting information. Read on.

Deception and pedagogy: surprising, but sometimes it is necessary

Raising stubborn little kids can be very difficult. Sometimes you have to go to all sorts of tricks to get them to do what is needed for pedagogical purposes. The simplest example is the brilliant and lazy Tom Sawyer with his fence. He slightly embellished reality and hid his true intentions and goals, but in the end the fence turned out to be painted! You can behave in a similar way if you simply cannot tell the child directly what is required of him. Because he will refuse - the real goal will seem too boring and uninteresting to him.

What is the difference between untruth and lies: explanation

Untruth is different from lies and lies.
There is a significant difference between these concepts. What is the difference between untruth and lies? Here's the explanation:

You can tell a lie unconsciously (for example, a person himself does not know the truth), but people always lie intentionally.
A person tries to deliberately discredit another, slander him, hide facts, or provoke him into doing something.
Unlike lies, lies always have reasons and lead to a specific goal.

Eg:

How did Vitya pass the exam? I don’t know, he said he didn’t learn well. Probably failed (after a while). Why did you tell a lie? He came across a ticket that he knew. And he got a B! - Is it true? Sorry. I didn't want to lie to you, I just relied on the facts. I'm sorry I misled you. If so, then I'm happy for him (not true).
When a passerby on the street asked me where the nearest Pyaterochka was, I said “go right, then turn the corner and left.” And then, when the man had already left, I realized that I had told a lie and “sent” him in the wrong direction. This is because I was visiting a friend and am not very familiar with the area myself (not true).
Natasha, I’m staying with Anton tonight. If my mom calls and asks where I am, can you tell me that I’m with you? - An, do you want me to lie? I am, of course, your friend, but lying is not my method. Sorry. I won't shield you. It's better to ask someone else (a lie).

As you can see, it is easy to understand the difference in these terms. You just need to understand the meaning.

Lying and cheating: what's the difference?

People often lie and deceive for a specific purpose - for example, to sell a product or to avoid negative consequences. But lying implies a certain disrespect towards a person. In the case of deception, the attitude towards the object of fraud can be neutral: for example, a person simply needs to receive financial benefit. That's why he deceives everyone. But at the same time, he does not harbor hatred or disdain for anyone.

Moreover, deception involves a selfish goal. And you can lie solely for the sake of self-preservation. Example:

I had to lie that I participated in the school Olympiad. This is because if my father found out that I performed at a rock concert, he would rip my head off.
Can not you see? He's deceiving you! You can buy a phone with features like this one for 5 times cheaper. This model is “a hundred years old”! Don’t even think about transferring money to him!
Sorry, I lied to you. In fact, I am married and have a child. No, you didn’t just lie to me - you deceived me for 2 months (an example of using two concepts at once).
Couldn't you just say right away that you couldn't help me? Why did you have to lie? I lost a lot of time because of you.
Sorry, dad. I didn't mean to deceive you. But you would be horrified if you found out that your daughter was expelled from the Polytechnic and has been working as a model for 5 years now.

Lying is always a prolonged action. And deception can be short-term or even isolated. Example:

Ivan had to lie that he was 18 years old in order to be sold alcohol in the store.
For 10 years now, Tamara has been deceiving her husband that she cannot get pregnant. Although, in fact, she was simply afraid of ruining her figure - so she used all sorts of “tricks” to avoid getting into an “interesting position.” Like many men, Artem didn’t even know about it. He thought his wife had health problems.

As you can see, the difference between the concepts of “lying” and “deceiving” is clearly visible in the examples. It's simple, you just need to remember.

What should you not do?

If a fact that you want to hide from your lover concerns both of you, then you cannot embellish it or lie about it. Let me give you an example again: a man has a child from a previous partner. He should definitely tell his current girlfriend about this.

As practice shows, men and women often neglect this rule and lie about everything, without thinking about how this will affect future relationships, the life and health of their partner as a whole. I often hear similar stories from participants in Pavel Rakov’s trainings, who come to me in complete confusion and are waiting for expert advice.

Lying deception: what does it mean?

Lying deception
There are 2 types of deception. The first is the situation when a deceiver misleads a person. But at the same time, he doesn’t lie. He can simply hide information, conceal facts. However, he does not seek to make the victim believe something that is not true.

But with false deception, the fraudster lies and hopes that the victim will believe him - and all for the sake of his own selfish goals. Accordingly, lying deception is the type of manipulation in which the scam will be successful only if you resort to lies.

In the case of ordinary deception, the communicator can suppress information, fabricate facts - but not always lie. The motive in both cases is the same: so that a person believes. Examples:

Boris promised to give me a new Morgenstern album for my birthday, but did not keep his promise. He deceived me (the usual deception).
He regularly deceived me by saying that he worked for a reputable company (lying deception).
I arrived at the appointed place, but there was no one there. Apparently, Vitka was scared and did not come to sort things out (the usual deception).
Oksana regularly lied to her husband that she was satisfied with everything. In fact, she had many claims against her man (lying deception).

It seems that the concept of “lying deception” is unclear, but it is not. It's simple - selfish goals, manipulation of a previously successful scam, and the victim must believe it without fail.

When is deception acceptable in a relationship between a man and a woman?

Let's not guess why everyone lies to each other - different couples will have their own excuses for this - but let's talk about white lies. When is deception in the family considered acceptable?

The situation you need to lie about applies only to you. For example, you have a loan debt that you kept silent about when you started dating your partner.
You are sure that even if your partner reacts negatively, if the deception is suddenly revealed, nothing fatal will happen to the relationship.

Lie, deceive, tell lies: synonyms

To better know what the concepts of “lying”, “deceiving”, “telling a lie” , it is worth choosing synonyms for these words. Here are some of them:

dissemble
To hang noodles on one's ears
To fool
Fool
Burn
Fool
Fool
Cheat
Outwit, etc.

Try to find other synonyms yourself. There are even more examples in quotes from literature. Read on.

A man who lies and deceives: quotes from literature

Quotes about lies and deception
Sometimes it is quotes from famous writers that help to understand certain definitions. For example, a person who lies and deceives - who is he? Here are quotes from literature:

Lying is the same as alcoholism. Liars lie as they die.

This was said by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.

He who lies to himself and listens to his own lies reaches such a point that he no longer discerns any truth either in himself or around him, and therefore begins to disrespect both himself and others.

This is what Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky thought.

We know very little and study poorly: that is why we must lie.

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche liked to say this phrase.

The most common and widespread reason for lying is the desire to deceive not people, but themselves.

The great writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

To lie to yourself for your own benefit is a forgery, to lie for the benefit of another is a forgery, to lie in order to harm is slander, this is the worst harm of a lie.

Life words from Jean Jacques Rousseau.

The liar's punishment is not that no one believes him anymore, but that he himself no longer believes anyone.

This is the truth that George Bernard Shaw brought to people.

A lie makes a person an object of universal contempt; it is a means of depriving him of the respect and faith that everyone should have in himself.

Immanuel Kant said these words.

How to recognize and deal with a pathological liar

For pathological liars, the habit of telling lies is due to the need for a kind of psychological satisfaction. Mythomaniacs can be very convincing.

How to Tell if You're Dealing with a Pathological Liar

Often, a pathological liar unconditionally believes in his lies and does not distinguish truth from fiction. Therefore, according to practicing psychologist Veronika Stepanova, identifying this pathology using standard methods (for example, using a polygraph) is problematic.

However, there are a number of criteria by which a person with such a mental disorder can be identified. The main ones:

A pathological liar has no remorse, cannot keep secrets, and loves to gossip.
He is selfish, thinks only of himself and his own benefit.
A person with such a disorder is envious of others and seeks to strengthen his self-esteem through lies.
A pathological liar skillfully manipulates people. He forces others to believe in what is said, to doubt their own adequacy.
A liar exaggerates his arguments to make them stronger.
He doesn't notice the contradictions in his stories. New facts may not coincide or contradict what was previously told. Once a myth-maniac starts lying, according to psychologist Tatyana Kolesnikova, he can no longer stop.
Easily maintains long-term eye contact even with unfamiliar people.
Mythomaniac loves to be the center of attention. In order to arouse the interest of others, he is ready to come up with dozens of exciting stories.
Even if a pathological liar is caught in a lie, he will not admit or apologize. Instead, he will come up with even more sophisticated lies, throw a tantrum, or blame his opponent.

The need to tell the truth causes emotional and physical discomfort in the mythomaniac. His thoughts become confused, his palms sweat, and he begins to tremble nervously.

How to Spot a Liar: Pexels