Lying as Exercise of Power

Power is the ability to influence others and is based in structural, cultural, or societal sources of power, such as one's class, sex, occupation, or position, or personal characteristics, such as charisma, social skills, poise, and dynamism. Leaders often possess these personal qualities as well as the structural sources of power, which gives them a great deal of influence over others. Leaders may use their power to deceive or may use deception as a tool in their persuasive repertoire more than those who lack the structural or personal sources of power. Research into deception and power has studied a variety of power relationships, including those in the workplace, educational settings, law enforcement, politics, and health care, among others.

Power should be differentiated from other related constructs such as dominance, leadership, authority, control, or influence. Generally, power is seen as the ability to exert influence on another person, but it is not always exercised in every situation. There are many different sources of power, including the legitimate status one has, the ability to reward or punish others, and the information or resources that one has access to. Powerful people do not always dominate others, because the situation or context determines what course of action is appropriate. In addition, having power in one context does not equate to power in all contexts because power is relationship and context dependent. Thus, when examining lying as an exercise of power, it must be examined with the context in mind in order to understand the motivations of deceivers and to understand what purpose their deception might serve.

Power is often associated with dominance and leadership, and some research suggests that deception is used differently by those on different rungs of the power ladder. Thus, powerful people may be more believable when they are lying not only because their status confers credibility but also because they look poised and confident when they are lying and have the social skills to weave deception and truth together. This combination of credibility and a skilled performance makes their deceptiveness very difficult to detect, especially when lies and truths are embedded together.