Pathology of Lying, Accusation, and Swindling: A Study in Forensic PsychologyHealy, William
Science
Pathology of Lying, Accusation, and Swindling: A Study in Forensic Psychology
Healy, William
Criminal psychology; Swindlers and swindling
As Stemmermann says, out of the general literature there is not
much from which one can deduce any principles of prognosis. But,
again, we would insist that one of the great weaknesses has been
that earlier studies have not carefully distinguished between the
mentally normal and the abnormal cases of pseudologia
phantastica. When, for instance, Forel speaks of pathological
liars as being constitutionally abnormal individuals who are not
curable, he fails to differentiate where profitable
differentiation can be made. If our own work is of any practical
value it is in offering safer grounds for prognosis and
treatment. Stemmermann summarizes well her follow-up work done
upon cases seen years previously by other observers. Some of
these are still in institutions. After a period of well- doing
several of these have become backsliders and reverted again to
lying and swindling. Very few appear to have been cured, but yet
some of the facts of betterment are most convincing. This author
states that, at the most, one dares to ponder over the point as
to whether there are not cases which recover, particularly when
the pathological lying is a phenomenon of adolescence.
Our own material is, in part, too recently studied to form
anything like a generalization concerning prognosis. Many years
have to elapse before one can be sure there is not going to be a
recurrence. But one is not altogether certain that prognostic
generalizations are of practical worth for this group of mentally
normal pathological liars. So many incidental factors of
physical, mental, and social life, with all of the complicated
background of the same, come in to make the total result, that
experiment and trial with the individual case, while hesitating
to give an exact prognosis, is perhaps the only sane procedure.
What we do know definitely is the immensely favorable outcome in
Cases 1, 4, 7, 19, and the promising betterment in several other
instances--all in direct contradiction to what we had expected
from survey of previous literature. In several of these cases
the years have gone by with nothing but steady improvement. The
difficulty in getting adequate treatment, either in home life or
by the necessary individual attention elsewhere, makes it
impossible to say that many of the others also could not have
been favorably influenced. Frequently a total alteration of
environmental conditions is necessary, and this, of course, is
often very difficult to obtain. Also it is extremely rare that
one can get the whole matter, and its sure social consequences,
fairly and squarely met by anybody with influence over the
individual. Until this can be done, little in the way of good
results may ever be expected. The splendid attack made by
relatives or others upon the situation in Cases 1, 4, 7, possibly
14, and 19 tells the story of the prime necessity for adequate
handling of pathological lying.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account