We lie about 100,000 times throughout our lives. But lies are not always the same. There are many different ways of lying depending on the objective and the situation that triggers this act of telling something different from reality.
We have all lied on some occasion, although the purpose of each one may be different and seek different objectives . Not all are equally bad, some may even have good will. Although we do not have a good appreciation of lies, they do not always hide a bad intention and we may sometimes hide or modify the truth to protect or not harm another person.
On the other hand, it is also known that they can be used in order to achieve personal benefit, even harming others. With this article you will be able to better understand what is meant by lying, what types of lies exist and what their distinctive characteristics are.
- We recommend you read: “The 7 differences between a sociopath and a psychopath”
What is a lie?
The lie is an expression or manifestation contrary to the truth , to what we really know, think or believe. The objective of this action can have good or bad intentions, for example it can be used with the purpose of deceiving or taking advantage of the other person or we can do it with good intentions so as not to harm the other.
Although we normally think of lies expressed verbally, we also consider lying to act contrary to reality, to simulate or to pretend. The subject, most of the time, has the will and is aware that he is deceiving, that is, the subject knows the truth and decides to falsify the answer or hide part of the truth.
In this way, despite considering it a negative action, everyone has lied on occasion and in certain circumstances this lie may be the best option, since depending on the importance of the facts or who the interlocutor is, it is better not to say what that one thinks for the good of the other or for his own.
What kinds of lies exist?
As we have already introduced, the purpose of lying can be different, so there are different types of lies that vary according to their characteristics and therefore are not all considered equally negative or harmful. Let us see, then, what are the different lies that we can tell and with what objective we carry them out.
1. White lies
White lies are classified within the type of lies that are intended to avoid harm or not hurt someone. In this way, we hide or modify reality to preserve the state of the other person and that it does not affect him in a negative way . Therefore, this variant does not have such a negative assessment and can show a justified use since the purpose is to benefit and protect the other and not oneself.
An example of a white lie would consist of: a friend shows us a new dress with which she is very excited, although we do not like it, in this case to avoid damaging her we will avoid saying our true opinion. This lie does not harm anyone since it is not an important action.
2. Instrumental Lies
Instrumental lies, unlike the previous ones, do have the purpose of benefiting oneself . The intention of modifying reality will be to achieve a positive consequence or own objective. For example, in the situation where a child will be able to watch television on the condition that he do his homework first, if he lies to his mother saying that he has done it when this is not reality, it is considered an instrumental lie, since the objective is to get on own reinforcement.
3. Lies by omission
When we make a lie by omission we are hiding the truth . So, this time we are not expressing false information, but we are failing to say something that we know to be true for a purpose. This kind of lie is widely used when we want to persuade someone, that is, to convince them of something, for example when we want to sell a product we can hide certain information that we know will not help us with the sale.
4. Lies of denial
Lies of denial consist of denying the truth, on this occasion, compared to those of omission, we go one step further since we not only hide the truth, but also deny that it is true. The subject to whom we deny reality can be external or we can be ourselves.
In the same way that there are measures of denial, we can also speak of those of affirmation, which will consist of the opposite version where a truth is affirmed that we know does not agree with reality.
5. Self-delusion
Self -deceptions are lies that are directed at oneself , they occur involuntarily with the purpose of protecting ourselves or avoiding harm. As with pious lies, sometimes it is better to hide or modify the truth so that the subject does not feel bad. These types of lies usually arise to preserve our identity, values, beliefs or decisions made.
For example, after buying some shoes we see cheaper ones, in this circumstance we will convince ourselves that we like ours more or in a situation where we have acted in a racist manner, if this behavior goes against our values we will try to justify our action by alleging that our behavior has been for another reason.
6. Compulsive lying
As its name indicates, compulsive lies are repeated , lying constantly. In this case, although the intention remains voluntary and the person knows that they are lying, the purpose does not have to be perverse and may be caused by a psychological problem or disorder, as observed in people with low self-esteem or subjects with a personality disorder. narcissistic.
Thus, this type of person will require psychological intervention since it is common for the lack of control of these lies to create discomfort and we can only reduce them if we treat the problem behind it.
7. Lies of minimization
The lie of minimization has the purpose of diminishing the importance of a fact, belief, thought… On this occasion we know the truth and we know the magnitude, but we seek to hide its value. This lie is normally used to express humility, for example we will say that we have not done so well in an exam when we really know that we have got a very good grade.
8. Lies of exaggeration
Contrary to the minimization lie, in this case the subject maximizes the situation, that is, exaggerates what happened or some aspect of the circumstance or the people involved . This lie usually arises when we idealize a situation or especially a person. For example, when we explain to a friend the date we had, it is common for us to exaggerate some of the events or situations to make it more attractive or striking.
9. Lying by plagiarism
In this type of lies, we not only modify reality but also steal, since it consists of becoming one’s own, giving oneself the work or idea of another for personal benefit. Given the magnitude of the action, this may be illegal and we can be denounced for it. This is one of the worst considered lies, since we are taking advantage of the work, effort, of another, to favor oneself and obtain profits.
10. Broken promises
Broken, unfulfilled promises are also a type of lie because we refer to something that we ultimately do not fulfill or do. When we make this promise knowing that we are not going to make it, we are giving false hope to the other person and we are creating an illusion that is not true, that is, we are looking for ourselves, to look good or avoid a compromising situation and not we are valuing each other’s feelings.
11. White Lies
The white lies are related to the already named white lies. They are lies expressed with the purpose of not hurting the other person, that is, the intention is good. We begin to use this type of lie with the appearance of empathy, around the age of 7, since it is this ability that allows the subject to put himself in the other’s place and find out how he can feel if we say something that harms him. .
12. Black Lies
The opposite of white lies would be black lies that aim to benefit, to win, regardless of causing pain to the other person . In this case we see how, despite knowing that we can harm the other, we decide to look for ourselves, we know this behavior as selfishness.
13. Blue Lies
The blue lies are the middle term of the two previous ones, of the white ones and the black ones. We consider them between good and evil since, despite benefiting oneself, the main objective is to favor our group. In this way, it is not selfish behavior but rather the intention is to help our peers.
For example, if we lie knowing that acknowledging a fact harms our entire high school class, this type of deception would be considered blue, we are benefiting the group.
14. Restructuring Lies
This time the action consists of modifying the context . Thus, in restructuring lies we do not hide or change the truth, only when we present it we do so by modifying the context so that it is better accepted and we achieve the desired effect on the recipient.
For example in the media or in the press, information is sometimes communicated out of context which may make a different impression on the listener or reader than it would if more informed of the circumstances.
15. Lies by mistake
Lies by mistake are not lies as such if we take into account that the subject does not know that he is lying. In this case, the lie is expressed without the will to do so, in other words, the person is giving false information but without knowing that this is so, he believes he is telling the truth.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
