Lies, Types of

The Target: Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Lying

Most often when people refer to lies they are talking about untruths or prevarications directed toward another person. This target may be a complete stranger, a casual friend, or a close intimate, but regardless of the exact relationship between the liar and the target, lying in this sense is certainly an interpersonal experience. It is, however, also possible for lying to be an intrapersonal process, one in which the liar is actually lying to himself or herself. Inter- and intrapersonal lying have a great deal in common.

Lies of Commission and Lies of Omission

When lying is interpersonal, involving another person as the target, both lies of commission and lies of omission can occur. Lies of commission are what people traditionally think of as lies—untruths deliberately told to others with the intent of misleading, misdirecting, or altering the target's perception of reality. A lie of commission requires communication between the liar and the target, a sharing of untrue or distorted information. This type of lying can be verbal, written, or communicated from the liar to the target through a third party, as is often the case with gossip, for example.

Interpersonal lies can also involve withholding of truthful information that the target would need in order to have a more realistic view of his or her own life experience. These are known as lies of omission. In these cases, a lack of communication is essential for the lying process to occur, with the liar choosing to actively withhold information from the target. For example, when a couple is having financial difficulties a common lie of omission occurs when one partner makes an unplanned purchase and deliberately does not tell his or her spouse.

The lines between lies of commission and omission are quite clear from an interpersonal standpoint, but the correlates for those intrapersonal lies, in which the liar and the target are one in the same person, are less obvious and less researched.

[Page 603]The correlate of lies of omission, when the self is both the liar and the target of the lie, is selective attention and/or directed information search. When people lie to themselves often it is because the reality in which they live is in some way unpalatable. In order to bring their actual reality in line with their desired reality, they pay attention only to information that supports their preferred view of life. For example, people who are having difficulty with their jobs may only acknowledge to themselves the positive and productive things they do at work, while ignoring their failures or weaknesses. In addition, people will often actively seek out information that only supports their preferred worldview. For employees struggling at work, this would entail seeking out feedback only from those coworkers who will say they are doing a good job.

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