Lies! Lies!! Lies!!!: The Psychology of Deceit [Paperback]

Charles V. Ford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0880489979 | ISBN-13: 978-0880489973 | Publication Date: June 1999 | Edition: 1

Lies! Lies!! Lies!!! The Psychology of Deceit looks beyond compulsive liars in our society and considers the ongoing flood of lies that we as human beings experience every day. Who lies? Not just children, politicians, advertisers, and salespeople. Our co-workers lie. Our friends lie. Our relatives lie. And we lie to them. Everybody lies. We learn to lie and to detect deceit as a developmental task. Dr. FordÂs philosophy is that lying is part of the bridge between oneÂs internal world (beliefs, perceptions, expectations, fantasies) and oneÂs external world (reality). Lies work not only to deceive others but to deceive ourselves. This book shines a spotlight on an understudied phenomenon that affects us all as we raise children, choose a relationship, move forward with a career path, or buy a used car.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Ford integrates his vast material to produce a coherent view on the intrapsychic functions of deceit, especially the regulation of self-esteem, and to delineate the complex interrelation of lying and self-deception. He has succeeded in a wonderful task: writing a book that provides fascinating and practical insights for the psychiatrist, as well as a scholarly work that will appeal to any intelligent reader interested in the subject."-- "Washington Psychiatry"

About the Author

Charles V. Ford, M.D., is Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, at the School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author or co-author of five books and approximately 100 published papers and invited chapters that focus primarily on issues of illness behavior, psychotherapy, the interface between medicine and psychiatry, and disease simulation. His scientific interest in deception began as a result of his contact with psychiatric and medical patients diagnosed as compulsive liars. Through his work he learned what little scientific information there was on the subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 1 edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880489979
• ISBN-13: 978-0880489973
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and general treatment of practice of deceipt, December 2, 1999

By 

Geoff L Williams (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lies! Lies!! Lies!!!: The Psychology of Deceit (Hardcover)

A certain dry humour makes the book very readable. The description of social pressures in learning to lie, and animal world comparisons, are a useful perspective. The central theme - the danger of lying to oneself, or self deception - is of great importance in working in any large organisation. I would prescribe it as essential reading for managers and directors of most modern organisations Many readers may lack the objectivity to appreciate and believe the reports contained in the book, though they are well researched and well documented. I hope the next edition may spend more time in coping with lies. There are 13 pages in this book on therapeutic approaches toward the deceitful person. The comments on "groupthink", which involves bias of group behaviour, could also be expanded in future editions, with comments on the efficacy of countermeasures.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lying as a Phenomenon, October 21, 2007

By 

J. Leahy "avid reader" (Aurora, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lies! Lies!! Lies!!!: The Psychology of Deceit (Paperback)

This book is primarily about pathological liars. It explicitly does not address issues of right and wrong with respect to lying. It is well written and the case studies presented in an interesting manner. Among the notable items presented are studies that indicate that police officers cannot distinguish liars from the honest any better than anyone else and that the rest of us don't generally do much better than chance at it. For a book that does address the moral questions of lying, and as a complement to this book, read Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life

30 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ecellent psychological look at lying., June 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lies! Lies!! Lies!!!: The Psychology of Deceit (Hardcover)

Straightforward. Well written and referenced. A very well laid out book with excellent references for further study on the subject. I gained a great appreciation for the psychological causes of lying. Highly recommended.