pathology of lying-第2部分

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　remember　a　patient；　a　brilliant　conversationalist　and　letter　writer；　but　an　absolutely　frank　case　of　paranoia；　whom　we　had　not　seen　for　a　period　during　which　she　had　concocted　a　new　set　of　notions　involving　even　her　own　claim　to　royal　blood；　confronting　us　with　a　merry；　significant　smile　and　the　remark；　‘‘You　don't　believe　my　new　stories；　do　you？''

A　short　statement　on　the　relation　of　lying　to　delinquency　may　be　of　interest　here。　　Ferriani's　discussion＇4＇　of　the　lying　of　500　condemned　juvenile　offenders；　with　classification　of　their　lies；　ranging　from　self…defense；　weakness；　and　fancy；　to　nobility　of　purpose；　does　not　include　our　field。　　Nor　does　he　leave　much　room　for　appreciation　of　the　fact　we　very　definitely　have　observed；　namely；　that　plenty　of　young　offenders　are　robust　speakers　of　the　truth。　　Our　analysis＇5＇　of　the　delinquencies　of　1000　young　repeated　offenders　carefully　studied　by　us　does　not　tell　the　proportion　of　truth　tellers　as　distinguished　from　liars；　but　it　does　give　the　number　in　which　lying　was　a　notable　and　excessive　trait。　　The　total　number　of　males　studied　was　694；　of　females　306。　　Ages　ranged　from　6　to　22；　average　about　16　years。

＇4＇　loc。　cit。

＇5＇　Vide　p。　140；　in　chapter　on　Statistics；　William　Healy；　‘‘The　Individual　Delinquent。''　　Little；　Brown；　and　Co。　　Boston；　1915。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　MALES　　　　　　FEMALES

Lyingcounted　only　when　excessive　and　a　　　　　　　104　　　　　　　　80　　　notorious　characteristic　of　the　individual；　　　　（15％）　　　　　（26％）　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　False　accusationsonly　recorded　when　of　an　　　　　　5　　　　　　　　16　　excessive　and　dangerous　sort；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（。7％）　　　　　（5％）


The　exact　number　of　pathological　liars　is　not　determinable　in　our　series　because　of　the　shading　of　this　lying　into　other　types。　　It　would　be　safe　to　say　that　8　or　10　of　the　1000　were　genuine　cases　of　pathological　lying　according　to　our　definition；　that　5　more　engaged　in　pathological　false　accusations　without　a　notorious　career　in　other　kinds　of　lying。　　Examples　of　borderline　mental　cases　showing　fantastic　lying　and　accusations　are　given　in　our　special　chapter。　　Some　of　the　cases　of　pathological　lying　given　in　this　work　do　not　belong　to　the　series　of　1000　cases　analyzed　for　statistical　purposes。　　The　extraordinary　number　of　times　several　of　these　individuals　appeared　in　court　（resembling　in　this　respect　the　European　case　histories）　shows　that　the　total　amount　of　trouble　caused　by　this　class　is　not　in　the　least　represented　by　their　numerical　proportion　among　offenders。

We　have　purposely　limited　our　own　material　for　presentation。　　Here；　as　elsewhere；　we　insist　on　the　value　of　genetics　and　consequently　have　busied　ourselves　at　length　with　those　cases　where　we　could　gain　something　like　an　adequate　conception　of　the　antecedents　in　family　and　developmental　histories　and　where　some　measure　of　the　psychogenetic　features　could　be　taken。　　Cases　of　older　individuals　with　their　prolonged　and　often　picturesque　careers；　equivalent　to　those　recounted　in　European　literature；　we　have　left　strictly　alone。　　One　ever　finds　that　the　older　the　individual　the　less　one　can　learn　satisfactorily　of　beginnings　of　tendencies；　just　on　account　of　the　unreliability　of　the　principal　actor　in　the　drama。　　The　cases　of　older　swindlers　at　first　sight　seem　to　offer　much　for　the　student　of　criminalistics；　if　only　for　purely　descriptive　purposes；　but　in　the　literature　we　have　failed　to　find　any　satisfactory　studies　of　the　formative　years　of　such　careers。　　By　taking　instances　of　younger　pathological　liars；　such　as　we　have　studied；　the　natural　progress　into　swindling　can　be　readily　seen。

In　court　work　we　have　been　brought　face　to　face　with　many　cases　of　false　accusation　and；　of　course；　with　plenty　of　the　usual　kind　of　lying。　　Where　either　of　these　has　been　entered　into　by　way　of　revenge　or　in　belief　that　it　would　aid　in　getting　out　of　trouble；　no　further　attention　has　been　paid　to　it　from　the　standpoint　of　pathological　lying。　　Our　acquaintance　with　some　professional　criminals；　particularly　of　the　sneak…thief　or　pick…pocket　class；　has　taught　us　that　living　conditions　for　the　individual　may　be　founded　on　whole　careers　of　misrepresentation　and　liesfor　very　understandable　reasons。　　Self…accusations　may　sometimes　be　evolved　with　the　idea　of　gaining　directly　practical　results；　as　when　a　lover　or　a　comrade　is　shielded；　or　when　there　is　danger　of　a　larger　crime　being　fastened　on　the　self…incriminator。

In　selection　and　treatment　of　our　material　we　have　confined　ourselves　as　closely　as　possible　to　the　definition　first　given　in　this　chaptera　definition　that　after　some　years　of　observation　we　found　could　be　made　and　held　to。　　While　we　would　not　deny　that　some　of　our　cases　may　eventually　find　their　way　into　an　insane　hospital；　still　none　of　them；　except　some　we　have　enumerated　under　the　name　of　border…line　types；　has　so　far　shown　any　indication　of　this。　　That　some　of　our　cases　have　more　or　less　recovered　from　a　strongly…marked　and　prolonged　inclination　to　falsify　is　a　fact　of　great　importance　for　treatment　and　prognosis。

We　see　neither　reason　for　including　insane　cases　nor　for　overlapping　the　already　used　classifications　which　are　based　on　more　vital　facts　than　the　symptom　of　lying。　　Our　use　of　abnormal　cases　in　our　chapter；　‘‘Illustrations　of　Border…Line　Types；''　will　be　perfectly　clear　to　those　who　read　these　cases。　　They　represent　the　material　not　easily　diagnosed；　sometimes　after　long　observation　by　professional　people；　or　else　they　are　clearly　abnormal　individuals　who；　by　the　possession　of　certain　capacities；　manage　to　keep　their　heads　well　above　the　level　of　social　incompetency　as　judged　by　the　world　at　large。

We　have　introduced　only　the　cases　where　we　have　had　ample　proof　that　the　individual　had　been　given　to　excessive　lying　of　our　peculiar　type。　　In　the　court　room　and　working　with　delinquents　outside　the　court；　it　is　in　rare　instances　totally　impossible　to　know　where　the　truth　finally　rests；　such　have　been　left　out。　　Then；　too；　we　omit　cases　in　which　false　accusations　have　about　them　the　shadow　of　even　a　suspicion　of　vindictiveness。　　False　accusations　of　young　children　against　parents　would　hardly　seem　to　have　such　a　basis；　and　yet　in　some　instances　this　fact　has　come　out　clearly。　　Grudge…formation　on　the　part　of　young　individuals　has　all　through　our　work　been　one　of　the　extraordinary　findings；　capacity　for　it　varies　tremendously　in　different　individuals。

Several　forms　of　excessive　lying；　particularly　those　practised　by　children　and　adolescents；　are　not　discussed　by　us　because　they　are　largely　age　phenomena　and　only　verge　upon　the　pathological　as　they　are　carried　over　into　wider　fields　of　conduct。　　The　fantasies　of　children；　and　the　almost　obsessional　lying　in　some　young　adolescents；　too；　we　avoid。　　There　is　much　shading　of　typical　pathological　lying　into；　on　the　one　hand；　the　really　insane　types；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　into　the　lying　which　is　to　be　explained　by　quite　normal　reactions　or　where　the　tendency　to　mendacity　is　only　partially　developed。

It　has　been　a　matter　of　no　small　interest　to　us　that　in　planning　this　monograph　we　conceived　it　necessary　to　consider　part　of　our　material　under　the　head　of　episodic　pathological　lying　and　that　later　we　had　to　omit　this　chapter。　　Surely　there　had　been　casesso　it　seemed　to　us　at　firstwhere　purposeless　lying　had　been　indulged　in　for　a　comparatively　short　time；　particularly　during　the　adolescent　period；　without　expression　of　a　prevaricating　tendency　before　or　after　this　time。　　When　we　came　to　review　our　material　with　this　chapter　in　mind　we　found　no　sufficient　verification　of　the　fact　that　there　was　any　such　thing　as　episodic　pathological　lying；　apart　from　peculiar　manifestations　in　cases　of　epilepsy；　hysteria；　and　other　mental　abnormalities。　　A　short　career　of　extensive　lying；　not　unfrequently　met　with　in　work　for　juvenile　courts　and　other　social　agencies；　seems；　judging　from　our　material；　to　be　always　so　mixed　up　with　other　delinquencies　or　unfortunate　sex　experiences　that　the　lying；　after　all；　cannot　be　regarded　as　purposeless。　　It　is　indulged　in　most　often　in　an　attempt　to　disguise　undesirable　truths。　　That　false　accusations　and　even　self…accusations　are　engaged　in　for　the　same　purpose　goes　without　saying。　　The　girl　who　donned　man's　clothes；　left　home　and　lived　for　months　a　life　of　lies　was　seeking　an　adventure　which　would　offset　intolerable　home　conditions。　　The　young　woman　who　after　seeing　something　of　the　pleasures　of　the　world　was　placed　in　a　strict　religious　home　where　she　told　exaggerated　stories　about　her　own　bad　behavior；　was　endeavoring　to　get　more　freedom　elsewhere。　　A　young　fellow　whom　we　found　to　be　a　most　persistent　and　consistent　liar　was　discovered　to　have　been　already　well　schooled　in　the　art　of　professional　criminalistic　self…protection。　　So　it　has　gone。　　Investigation　of　each　of　these　episodic　cases　has　shown　the　fabrications　to　emanate　either　from　a　distinctly　abnormal　personality　or　to　partake　of　a　character　which　rules　them　out　of　the　realm　of　pathological　lying。　　In　our　cases　of　temporary　adolescent　psychoses　lying　was　rarely　found　a　puzzling　feature；　the　basic　nature　of　the　case　was　too　easily　discoverable。

A　fair　question　to　ask　at　this　point　is　whether　pathological　lying　is　ever　found　to　be　the　only　delinquency　of　the　given　individual。　　We　should　hesitate　to　deny　the　possibility　of　its　being　the　sole　offense；　but　in　our　study　of　a　long　list　of　cases；　and　after　review　of　those　reported　by　other　authors；　it　seems　practically　impossible　to　find　a　case　of　this。　　The　tendencies　soon　carry　the　person　over　to　the　production　of　other　delinquencies；　and　if　these　do　not　come　in　the　category　of　punishable　offenses；　at　least；　through　the　trouble　and　suffering　caused　others；　they　are　to　be　regarded　essentially　as　misconduct。

The　reverse　of　the　above　question　deserves　a　word　or　two　of　attention；　are　there　marked　cases　of　delinquency　which　do　not　show　lying？　　Surveying　the　figures　of　Ferriani＇6＇　who　enumerated　thousands　of　lies；　belonging　to　his　nine　classes　of　prevarications；　which　a　group　of　500　young　offenders　indulged　in；　one　would　think　that　all　delinquents　are　liars　many　times　over。　　But　as　a　matter　of　fact　we　have　been　profoundly　astonis