Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

elleng

(130,917 posts)
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 10:59 PM Dec 2017

I study liars. I've never seen one like Donald Trump.

'I spent the first two decades of my career as a social scientist studying liars and their lies. I thought I had developed a sense of what to expect from them. Then along came President Donald Trump. His lies are both more frequent and more malicious than ordinary people's.

In research beginning in the mid-1990s, when I was a professor at the University of Virginia, my colleagues and I asked 77 college students and 70 people from the nearby community to keep diaries of all the lies they told every day for a week. They handed them in to us with no names attached. We calculated participants' rates of lying and categorized each lie as either self-serving (told to advantage the liar or protect the liar from embarrassment, blame or other undesired outcomes) or kind (told to advantage, flatter or protect someone else).

At The Washington Post, the Fact Checker feature has been tracking every false and misleading claim and flip-flop made by Trump this year. The inclusion of misleading statements and flip-flops is consistent with the definition of lying my colleagues and I gave to our participants: "A lie occurs any time you intentionally try to mislead someone." In the case of Trump's claims, though, it is possible to ascertain only whether they were false or misleading, and not what the president's intentions were.

I categorized the most recent 400 lies that The Post had documented through mid-November in the same way my colleagues and I had categorized the lies of the participants in our study. . .

In Trump's first 298 days in office, however, he made 1,628 false or misleading claims or flip-flops, by The Post's tally. That's about six per day, far higher than the average rate in our studies. And of course, reporters have access to only a subset of Trump's false statements — the ones he makes publicly — so unless he never stretches the truth in private, his actual rate of lying is almost certainly higher.'>>>

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-donald-trump-liar-20171208-story,amp.html

20 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
I study liars. I've never seen one like Donald Trump. (Original Post) elleng Dec 2017 OP
The REAL Art of the Deal sandensea Dec 2017 #1
You're welcome, sandensea. elleng Dec 2017 #3
You know, the Pink Panther reminds me of little Jared. sandensea Dec 2017 #5
Oh yes, so nice to see you again! elleng Dec 2017 #6
Likewise! sandensea Dec 2017 #8
Thanks, you too. elleng Dec 2017 #10
They don't make'em like that anymore! sandensea Dec 2017 #11
Pink Panther, just the right mood for this point in time. elleng Dec 2017 #12
Of course. How silly of me. sandensea Dec 2017 #14
Wow! Excellent article - thanks! Rhiannon12866 Dec 2017 #2
I would like to see other studies where the participants BigmanPigman Dec 2017 #4
K&R Solly Mack Dec 2017 #7
Sorry I took no skills from my experience, Solly Mack; elleng Dec 2017 #9
I'm sorry! I truly am. Mine was academic. Solly Mack Dec 2017 #13
Have you studied Alzheimer's patients? tavalon Dec 2017 #15
I have not. Ask the author: elleng Dec 2017 #16
Notice I caveated with not dismissing his horrible, pussy grabbing character flaws tavalon Dec 2017 #17
Wow Hayduke Bomgarte Dec 2017 #18
Years ago I studied cults and cult followers Cary Dec 2017 #19
Amazing and very frightening. elleng Dec 2017 #20

sandensea

(21,635 posts)
1. The REAL Art of the Deal
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 11:03 PM
Dec 2017

If he had written (or rather, ghost-written) that book truthfully, the above essay by Bella DePaulo is what it would sound like.

Thank you for this, Ellen. Great reading.

sandensea

(21,635 posts)
5. You know, the Pink Panther reminds me of little Jared.
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 11:28 PM
Dec 2017

But luckily for us, Bob Mueller's no Clouseau.





Rhiannon12866

(205,405 posts)
2. Wow! Excellent article - thanks!
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 11:07 PM
Dec 2017

This nails the exact reason that Trump - as a human being, let alone in a position of power - is so horrifically disturbing...

BigmanPigman

(51,593 posts)
4. I would like to see other studies where the participants
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 11:19 PM
Dec 2017

are politicians and break that down into part affiliation and the years that they served.

Solly Mack

(90,767 posts)
7. K&R
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 11:36 PM
Dec 2017

Most people are willing to give the benefit of the doubt because we do need a reason not to believe (as stated in the article) but there are factors - our beliefs, values, principles, past experiences - and our biases, of course - that can and do put a check on giving that benefit.

I'm less inclined to believe a republican/conservative politician about anything, for instance. Partly because of past experiences with republicans/conservatives - their actions v. words and their actions on their own merit - which over time has created a bias against believing them. A republican might be lying 99% of the time but because of that bias, I miss that 1%, kind of thing. Negligible, maybe - but the bias still exist. In being honest with myself, I have to acknowledge that bias. In doing so, I fully expect a republican to take what I just said out of context and claim what I said means I discriminate against them.

But that could be my bias talking. (Snort)

Sorry.

K&R

I studied lying over a period of time a long time ago, so much so I began to test those around me, those close to me. Situations and relationships didn't turn ugly so much as I turned ugly. I didn't like the me I was becoming. I did take away some useful skills though.





elleng

(130,917 posts)
9. Sorry I took no skills from my experience, Solly Mack;
Sat Dec 9, 2017, 11:52 PM
Dec 2017

just 'depression.' The liar was my husband.

tavalon

(27,985 posts)
15. Have you studied Alzheimer's patients?
Sun Dec 10, 2017, 12:35 AM
Dec 2017

I'm not discounting his narcissistic personality disorder or his psychopathy, but Alzheimer's patients, in the early stages, lie their asses off in an attempt to seem mentally with it.

elleng

(130,917 posts)
16. I have not. Ask the author:
Sun Dec 10, 2017, 12:40 AM
Dec 2017

Bella DePaulo is the author of "How We Live Now: Redefining Home and Family in the 21st Century" and "Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After."

I do NOT think its rational for us to chalk his antisocial behavior to alzheimers. He is responsible.

tavalon

(27,985 posts)
17. Notice I caveated with not dismissing his horrible, pussy grabbing character flaws
Sun Dec 10, 2017, 12:43 AM
Dec 2017

His lying is getting worse than it was even a year ago. He can't even seem to remember things he said a year ago.

Cary

(11,746 posts)
19. Years ago I studied cults and cult followers
Sun Dec 10, 2017, 10:26 AM
Dec 2017

The facet that amazed me was how easy it was to brainwash people.

I would like to see #fakepresident compared to other cults and cult leaders. That would be apples to apples.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Editorials & Other Articles»I study liars. I've never...