Pathological Lying

Pathological lying, also known as mythomania or pseudologia fantastica, is an illness or behavior characterized by compulsive or habitual lying. One of the most widely accepted definitions of pathological lying was written in 1915, by W. Healy and M. T. Healy, two psychologists who first attempted to define the disorder and who brought pathological lying to the public eye. They describe pathological lying as having four criteria. First, pathological liars often have no discernible motive or reason to lie. Second, the lying is typically complicated, interwoven into a web of lies with multiple layers. Third, the lying can take place over a long period and usually encompasses several years of extensive lying. And fourth, pathological lying cannot be merely a symptom of another disorder.

Healy and Healy based their conceptualization of pathological liars on patients they encountered, and it is useful to consider one of these patients in the context of this conceptualization of pathological liars. Patient Janet B. was a 19-year-old female and presented all four components. Janet's lying was described as consisting of lies that had no clear reason, including lying about the existence of a man who had saved her life as a child, her purchase of an exorbitantly expensive sewing machine, and her constant reference to various medical illnesses and nervous disorders from which she claimed to suffered.

Janet's lies were incredibly complicated and multifaceted, presented as stories rather than single untruths. She claimed to have a relationship with a man who did not exist, whom she met in a western town where she has never visited, and who died in an accident that never occurred. Janet's parents were able to verify the major falsehoods. This ground truth is critical in the study of pathological liars because without ground truth it is difficult to diagnose the magnitude of the deception.

To be considered pathological, the lying behaviors must be both long-term and regular, and not simply a reaction to a single event. In Janet's case, her excessive lying began at the age of 12 or 13 and lasted over six years. This duration of deceptive behavior is an important and distinguishing characteristic of pathological lying, although the scientific community has not agreed upon a specific time frame.