Lying Term Paper

Lying is, what some see, as a means to an end. It enables relationships and maintains bonds (at least that is how a lot of people act and behave every day). However, this may not be a good means of socializing when it comes to long-term relationships. People sometimes believe the saying: "You can't handle the truth" and treat those they fear cannot deal with honesty, by chronically lying to them. There are some who lie to themselves and prefer to live in denial of important things like looming health issues, infidelity, or an unsatisfied life to keep from going insane. Lies then become an avenue for expression of bad behavior and avenue for constant repression (a way to prolong or delay something) to survive. Why then is lying so harmful? Are there instances where lies are beneficial?

Little white lies are almost always seen as harmless. People see these lies as just avoiding confrontation or keeping someone happy. And sure, white lies can smooth over a new relationship or get someone closer to a goal. They're useful for dealing with bosses and getting along with people you really want to get to know. However, little white lies have the nasty habit of turning into great, big ones. And these big lies are the ones that do the most damage.

If marijuana is seen as the gateway drug, white lies are seen as the gateway to becoming a pathological liar, at least when lying becomes a habit. Great, big lies not only involve a lot of memorization, but also creativity and usually lead to people getting caught. People often site politicans as being good liars, as they promise the world and deliver a block and are often seen as untrustworthy and lacking character. Although white lies don't have to turn into big ones, it certainly provides the fuel to generate such out of control stories that great lies feed off of.

A good instance of a white lie gone big is when an employee who works for an overbearing boss tells him he looks handsome.She doesn't believe what she is saying, however, she wants to please her boss and vie for promotion. He takes this as her flirting with him and asks her on a date. She says yes, again, lying to herself about being attracted to him, and then ends up in a sticky situation where she feels she has to "make up feelings" for her boss in order to keep her job and get a promotion.

Although this doesn't happen often, white lies can easily turn into big ones because of the circumstances that these white lies get people in. Also, when people get used to telling big lies, their whole world becomes a lie as they try to cover up any mistakes or hiccups. Pathological liars are not common but they exist and become so accustomed to lying that they cannot tell the truth, even if they try. So that means that people should try to be honest at all times, maintain a level of truth in order to avoid becoming a pathological liar?

To some extent yes, to another no. It's all dependent on the person. Lying does not have to lead to pathological lying. But it can lead to bad consequences in certain situations. In important relationships, especially long-term ones, yes, it does pay in the long run to tell the truth. People respond better to honesty than they do lies when it comes to building trust and repoire.

However, in relationships that are professional and short-term, lies sometimes benefit more than honesty. Simply put, one may acquire "foot in mouth" disease if….....