“Sick liar” has become a convenient insult for everyone we love to hate, from corrupt politicians to reality show “villains.” The Secret Life of Mormon Wives This is the latest example where co-stars and viewers alike are flaunting the term Jen Affleck due to previous claims about her husband’s alleged gambling and alleged relationship with Ben Affleck. But what actually qualifies a person’s dishonesty as “pathological”?
Despite the popular image of someone conniving, scheming, and cartoonishly evil, the label actually only applies to a very small group of people—and it comes with very specific qualifications. “It’s a pattern of behavior, not an independent disease recognized by DSM-5” Christina Ni, MDa Los Angeles psychiatrist and National Medical Director of Interventional Psychiatry at Mindpath Health tells SELF. “And it’s not just about deception: it can be behavior.” Look On the surface it is manipulative, but underneath it usually reflects deeper psychological distress and vulnerability.”
In other words, a true pathological liar is not necessarily someone who wants to ruin your life win all battles“That’s why it’s worth paying more attention to these tell-tale signs.”
1. Their lies are compulsive and habitual.
Whether it’s a little white lie or a more deliberate attempt to avoid accountability, everyone speaks their mind from time to time. But pathological lying is almost a constant habit, Drew Curtis, PhDis an associate professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Tyler and an author Big Liars: What Psychological Science Tells Us About Lying and How to Avoid Being Deceptive, says SELF.
“On average, we investigate nine to 10 lies a day,” says Dr. Curtis, who also leads the charge on the subject through the Clinical Science and Deception Laboratory. In essence, this is less of a deliberate choice and more of a default, reflexive response.
2. They often lie, in different situations and topics.
No one becomes a pathological liar in a single argument or one-off incident—despite what Demi Engemann might suggest about Affleck in the film’s final season. The Secret Life of Mormon Wives. As Dr. Curtis explains, this type of lying is a broader, chronic pattern that almost spans all relationship, situation and theme. This means that they are not only bending the truth a strange madness or embellish their credentials to impress coworkers—pathological liars compulsively lash out in family, colleagues, social events, and casual interactions with strangers.
