What causes pathologic lying?
No one cause accounts for all pathologic lying. Many pathologic liars have neurologic abnormalities, defects in brain function or structure that predispose them to lying. They seem to lack control over what they say. Some pathologic liars are self-dramatizing or hysterical individuals. As Margaret Mitchell said of Scarlett O’Hara, in Gone With The Wind: “Her dramatic, attention seeking, and histrionic behavior indeed went to the extent of lying to achieve her aims. Seeking attention was a way of life to Scarlett, and if she had to exaggerate, act, or even lie, these acts were merely tools, used by her with an artisan’s skill.” Psychiatrists, on the other hand, see a close link between lying and other forms of antisocial behavior. Pathologic lying, by defininition, is inimical to rational self-interest. People lie to attain a sense of power, or control, over their own lives and the world around them. But since lying is likely to have the opposite effect, pathologic liars must be despera
