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
Very willingly this young woman entered into the problem of
solving the genesis of her own tendencies. She repeatedly said
that she, of all things, wanted to break herself of this. She
maintains she can perceive no beginnings. It seems to her as if
she has always been that way. She spoke at first of this crowd
of girls who successfully lied to their parents and talked to her
about sex things, and we are inclined to believe that this really
may have been the beginning, but later she affirms this was not
the beginning and that her lying began in earlier childhood. All
that she knows is that it has grown to be a habit and now ``when
I speak it comes right out.'' After she has told a lie she never
thinks about it again one way or another. Her conscience does
not trouble her in the matter. She does not tell lies for what
she gets out of it, nor does it give her any particular pleasure
to fool people. She does not invent her stories, but at the time
of talking to people she simply says untrue things without any
thought beforehand and without any consideration afterward. To
one officer she flung the challenge, ``Oh, I'm clever, you'll
find that out.'' After months of effort and when it was clear
that the girl for her own good must be given a course of training
in an institution she quite acquiesced in the wisdom of such
procedure, after a few hours' rebellion.
It has been noted by many that one of Gertrude's outstanding
traits is her lack of emotion. She never cries and only rarely
does the semblance of a blush tinge her cheeks. She neither
loves nor hates strongly. She seems remarkably calm under
conditions where others storm. She says she never is frightened,
that she never worries, or is sorry. She is well aware of her
own ego; that she may be trespassing upon the rights of others
never seems to enter her head. Certain simulations of physical
ailments, which at times she showed, we could only interpret as
part of her general tendency to misrepresent.
Our summary of the causative factors in this case, made,
unfortunately, partly on the basis of this unreliable girl's
testimony, offers the following explanation of her remarkable
tendencies:
(a) There was early development of an inner life which dealt
vividly in imaginary situations. This grew into a mental
existence hidden entirely from the members of her family.
(b) There was early experience with successful lying on the part
of others, and this as a main episode probably occurred at the
time when the emotion natural to first knowledge of sex life was
present.
(e) There was frequent experience with the falsifications which
were her mother's frailty.
(d) For her lying there were no parental disciplines or
corrections at any time, so far as we have been able to learn.
(e) The young woman shows unusually little emotion, and only
sporadically demonstrates conscience.
(f) There is unquestionably marked habit formation in the case.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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