We meet and come across different kinds of people in the course of our daily activities. We tacitly judge people on different criteria, but often, our impressions prove to be wrong—something we realize much later. It is a fact that we are more easily impressed with people who can exaggerate or manipulate information for effect, without the listener realizing that what he is listening to is in fact, a bunch of lies or distortions.
To put it bluntly, we are often impressed with people who lie; easily intrigued and enticed by liars. It is their flawless pretence as well as manipulating and interpreting skills that seduce the listeners into believing them, at least temporarily. But if we empirically understand their basic manipulating skills and reasons behind it, we can perhaps prevent ourselves from falling into their trap.
Lying is an integral weakness of human beings. It is extremely difficult to find a human being who has not lied, at least partially, even once in his/her life. That is perhaps why one philologist goes as far as theorizing that language must have been invented for the sole purpose of deception. This also suggests that we are all liars, albeit to different degrees. People lie for a variety of reasons, including increasing their sense of importance, achieving some end, or sometimes as a mere habit. At time, one does not know the difference between the truth and fantasy and hence, ends up lying inadvertently. Given that lies and deceit can be motivated by such a range of intentions, it becomes difficult for an ordinary person to spot lies.
Different people—depending on their educational backgrounds, socio economic conditions and experiences—employ different strategies for lying, besides many other motives that compel them to distort the truth. However, if you have some basic information about the liar’s general personality, you can help yourself by not falling for his deceit. Based on their characteristics, liars can be put into different brackets.
A person is known as a notorious liar if he/she has a propensity to avoid facts each time you talk to him. He does not talk straight. Everyone is aware of it but cannot help him/her anymore because the person has already built such an unsavory reputation that only a stranger is likely to be misled.
Another kind is the consummate liar who lies with great skill, convincingly and artistically. The lying skill of the person has reached near perfection. His mastery of lying is so foolproof that it is usually crowned with success. Generally, some leaders and educated individuals fall under this category.
An incorrigible liar is one who is impervious to outside effects and is unable to correct his habit. Sometimes, he is caught in his own fabrications. But it is hard for him to reform himself. He continues to lie despite the punishment, embarrassment or unhappiness that it brings to him.
An inveterate liar lies because it is his deep-rooted habit. Lying is as frequent and customary to him as any other routine activity. Speaking the untruth is an instinctive habit. Another kind is the congenital liar who has a history of lying. He does not feel satisfied till he adds his own fabrication while talking. He may not mean any harm but is helpless because of his habit.
Another type is the chronic liar who never stops lying. Most liars lie for a specific reason or at a given occasion but a chronic liar lies continuously over and over again, many times even contradicting his previous statements.
Then comes the glib—he who possesses a lively imagination and ready tongue. Such liars can distort facts smoothly and effortlessly. Ironically, it is this very smoothness that makes him a suspect. His answers are too quick to be true. Even if people cannot catch his lies right then, they would have learnt from their experiences not to suspend their critical faculty while listening to him. They admire his dexterous wit but they listen to him with a skeptical ear.
Lying is undoubtedly an undesirable habit but the worst is the liar whose lying is calculated, pre mediated and vicious with an aim gain something. Such a person is called an egregious liar. Unfortunately, liars are all pervasive—found in all walks of life. Though we are all liars to different degrees, we must ensure that even when we feel compelled to lie, we don’t end up hurting anyone.
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