Psychology of Lying - Research Paper Example

The second reason why people lie could be to benefit from lying somehow and achieve a better position, socially or materialistically (McVeigh, 41). Grover (479) agrees that self-interest could be the main fixed variable when we refer to deception, as has been confirmed through various theories and research on deception. Deceiving so that self-control could be exercised over resources, where resources are viewed as a self-interest commodity, has been the moral of many organizational politics literature (Grover, 479).

Grover (479) mentions a particular theory by (Schein, 1979) where he hypothesized that deception could be an instrument used to achieve power, with special emphasis on high end organizations.Then again at another instance Grover (479) recollects (Lewicki, 1983) to have considered achieving any desired outcomes through the purposeful negotiation tactic of ‘lying’. This statement is supported by two authors, Hurkens and Kartik (15), who believe that most people lie when there is an incentive available.

Grover (1) gives the best example to explain how lying could provide opportunities to people. Since workers have to report the newest developments to their bosses and subordinates frequently either verbally or non-verbally. Grover (1) states that a truck driver keeps track of all the hours he has been on the road, a nurse records vital signs on charts, a certified public accountant records the amounts audited, while reporting tree census is the job of a forester. While their individual employers consider their stated report to be true, each of such people has initiatives to lie (Grover, 1).

If the truck driver fakes that he followed the speed limit, while actually he exceeded it he can return home earlier; the nurse, on the other hand, can save her time and put it elsewhere by incorrectly quoting some of the recorded vital signs; by reporting that they have done voluminous amounts of work CPA's may become partners sooner; and the forester in order to prevent deforestation may wrongly report the tree census (Grover, 1). Such initiatives to lie all fulfill selfish desires, thus, giving room to the idea which links selfish behavior to the act of lying.

DePaulo et.al (980) further states that it is an established fact in the literature on ethics that, lying is frequently perceived as an act of selfish behavior. DePaulo et.al (980) mentions an assumption that landing jobs, proceeding in the corporate hierarchy, increased remuneration, as well as better grades, seem to be the main (selfish) motivators for people to lie. DePaulo et.al (980) point out that these are all financial or rather materialistic gains which satisfy the self, however, a contrasting ideology becomes evident in their opinion, since they perceive lies to be told often to achieve emotional satisfaction, such as esteem, affection, and respect, rather than materialistic satisfaction.

Ekman and O’Sullivan (913) explain the intensity of different kinds of lies and what could be the dangers associated with each of them. According to Ekman and O’Sullivan (913), lies are observed in all phases of life, whether it be at home, school, or the workplace. Ekman and O’Sullivan (913) divide lies into two categories: the low-stake lies, and the high-stake lies. Considering the