Lies! Lies!! Lies!!!: The Psychology of Deceit

by Charles V. Ford

Lies! Lies!! Lies!!! The Psychology of Deceit looks beyond compulsive liars in our society and considers the ongoing flood of lies that we as human beings experience every day. Who lies? Not just children, politicians, advertisers, and salespeople. Our co-workers lie. Our friends lie. Our relatives lie. And we lie to them. Everybody lies. We learn to lie and to detect deceit as a developmental task. Dr. Ford's philosophy is that lying is part of the bridge between one's internal world (beliefs, perceptions, expectations, fantasies) and one's external world (reality). Lies work not only to deceive others but to deceive ourselves. This book shines a spotlight on an understudied phenomenon that affects us all as we raise children, choose a relationship, move forward with a career path, or buy a used car.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

333 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Eric Wojciechowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant work but heavy on the Psychoanalysis side of interpretation. My reasoning for coming to this work was a simple question: Why would an otherwise accomplished person start telling tall tales? The present volume has answered that question. Recommended reading.

[❈ Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book when dealing with a person who lies about child abuse. Wonderful for the second wife

[Emma Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Research for a short story; a useful background read for preparing my unreliable narrator. Not too complex in language. Useful explanatory anecdotes.