Mythomania Or Compulsive Liar: 7 Psychological Signs To Detect Them
Do you feel like you can’t stop lying? Do you think someone around you is a compulsive liar? Maybe you are facing a case of mythomania. Discover the psychology behind it.
It’s been a few years since Jim Carrey starred in the movie: “Liar”. In it, the actor plays a successful lawyer who uses lies on a regular and daily basis. Almost every sentence he formulates involves a lie and it could be said that although the problem of mythomania and figure of the mythomaniac in this film, it doesn’t define it badly at all.
We must remember that we all lie in some way, some more than others but we all do it from time to time. We use the lies pious with a certain normality although if we put a scale the times we are sincere weigh more than the times we lie.
On other occasions we can lie to deceive or to avoid recognizing a mistake and although these lies are not pious, they are still something specific, that is, lies do not define who we are. That is to say, liars There is everywhere and it is something typical of our human condition. However, mythomania is a form of addiction, but not to harmful substances but to lies.
A mythomaniac He does not lie specifically as we can all do at some point to avoid an argument or to avoid causing harm, they are lies just for the sake of it, without a reason for being, without pursuing an objective. So much so that the attitudes of a mythomaniac person end up turning them into compulsive liars without being able to control it. They are experts at this and they do it with astonishing naturalness. Lying becomes a way of life, habitual behavior. Therefore, the meaning of mythomaniac encompasses those people who cannot stop lying because lies are already part of their personality.
The objective of the liar It is simply making your reality flashier or better than it really is. They lie, for example, about the time they got up. Because? Are you going to lose something by saying you’ve been in bed longer? It’s simply to pretend that perhaps he is a morning person, even if that doesn’t matter to you. In this way, the mythomaniac is a person who lies a lot and in a completely arbitrary way just to appear above others.
Sometimes yes but other times no. In most cases and also in less serious cases, the mythomaniac or the person who does not stop compulsively lying knows at all times that he is lying. The lie simply slips out naturally, since he feels more comfortable lying and creating a parallel reality than admitting real events. In the most serious cases, however, the person comes to believe their own lies since to lie over time you have to have a lot of memory.
Thus, the lie becomes a “real” memory and little by little its parallel world is created in which the majority of people are already aware that everything is false except themselves. In these cases where the person who believes his own lies does not know what is real or not, this situation can lead to a fantastic pseudology of his own memories. That is, forming a story about your life that is not, but that compulsive liars believe in all aspects. There are those who say that to tell a lie you then have to use a hundred more to maintain it. This is how the mythomaniac moves further and further away from reality, until he can no longer return, thus creating a fictional character.
What causes mythomania?
Lies of this type compulsive lying disorder They arise as an inability to accept reality, so they need to draw a parallel reality to make their life better. Therefore, the main causes of this lying disease or the attitude of pathological liars could be described mainly in the following.
Low self-esteem
It can be said that the majority of compulsive liars or compulsive liars They have low self-esteem since they are not satisfied with their way of doing or living. Furthermore, lying generates a feeling of risk, the fear of being discovered, so adrenaline is secreted that makes the person who lies feel good. Thus, once they start, it is difficult to stop.
Poor social skills
People who lie usually have poor social skills that cause them to accumulate various frustrations in this area of ​​their lives. If they lie, they do not have to admit that they have been rejected or any type of difficulty that arises. Therefore, these pathological liars They have the perfect excuse for not improving this aspect of their personality.
They seek social approval
He mythomaniac or mythomaniac He builds a new life that is better than the one he has and thus tries to get approval, respect or the affection he needs. He really believes that telling the truth won’t help, but lying will. Thus, many times what is sought is to feel included or taken into account by others, that is, social approval is sought. The problem is that when you lie so much, in the end you end up getting caught, people realize it and nobody likes being treated like a fool or feeling cheated. And there appear the consequences of lying, which is precisely what the mythomaniac seeks to avoid: social isolation. People who suffer from mythomania tend to stay alone, since most of us do not like to live in a lie, we appreciate sincerity above other values ​​and that is something that the mythomaniac cannot allow.
Consequence of a psychological illness
In many cases the attitudes of a liar and its characteristics end up revealing a psychological problem. So much so that a pathological liar may be revealing a symptom of illnesses such as bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, substance dependence, or even a narcissistic personality.
When do the first symptoms of a compulsive liar or mythomaniac appear?
Generally the problem appears in childhood although mythomaniac personality appears in adolescence or early adulthood. Already at a young age, mythomaniacs begin to lie, not for free, but to avoid conflict, to be punished or to avoid responsibility. Lies appear especially in cases where parents are excessively harsh with their children and punish or retaliate. Thus, they learn that lying has no consequences, while if they tell the truth, they are punished.
Lying person: Characteristics to identify a mythomaniac
In many cases where the liars They end up being compulsive in this attitude, they develop a series of guidelines that they usually follow.
1. Lies without a clear benefit
On certain occasions a person may lie to try to avoid an uncomfortable situation or unnecessary conflict. On the other hand, both compulsive liar Like a pathological liar they have this attitude without a specific purpose. That is, lies do not have a clear objective.
2. They tell very detailed stories
In most of compulsive liars or pathological liars The stories told are usually very dramatic and detailed. So much so that those who suffer from this ‘disease of lying’ tend to be great storytellers.
3. They sound very convincing
One of the virtues of a pathological liar is that each of their stories sound really convincing. It is for this precise reason that on many occasions they also tend to be very skillful manipulators.
4. They are heroes or victims
In each pathological lie What they tell, they play the role of hero or victim. This happens because on many occasions you will use your ability to lie to gain admiration, sympathy or acceptance from others.
5. They can believe their own lies
As we have already pointed out, person who lies a lot You can come to believe your own lies. This can even happen in the most fanciful compulsive lies. In these cases it is essential to detect a person who believes their own lies since this attitude can be harmful both to them and to those closest to them.
In most cases a liar He evades all questions regarding his story. What’s more, he will always find the best way to escape from all of them.
7. They have different versions of the same story
This is one of the characteristics that most reveal a compulsive liar and his illness. On many occasions when you ask about a story that was told to you a long time ago, a lying person will not remember since this did not really happen. Therefore, you will notice subtle changes in their stories.
These are the main characteristics that we can find in a mythomaniac or mythomaniac When this type of behavior happens, it is important to make the lying person see that they are facing a psychological problem and that they should go to a mental health professional.
How to deal with a pathological liar or mythomaniac?
Even though when we are in front of a liar We can perceive or identify it, the reality is that this attitude can affect us in our personal life if it is very close. For this reason, we will tell you how to get out of a situation with compulsive liars or compulsive liars without a scratch.
Address the problem
The best way to put an end to lying people is to make them see that you know they are not telling the truth. In many cases they will try to excuse themselves or evade your evidence, but the important thing will be to show them that they must correct this. mythomaniac attitude
Get away
Sometimes we can’t help someone who won’t stop compulsive lying In these cases, it is better to stay away from a lying person and try to avoid them at all costs so as not to be harmed.
Keep calm
On many occasions a pathological liar He will expose us with his lies. Therefore, it is vital that in these situations you remain calm and try to explain your position on the matter. This will make others perceive you as more balanced than the mythomaniac and they will end up giving more truth to your words than those of a compulsive liar.
These may be some of the most effective ways to end a pathological liar Even so, there are situations where the lies of a lying person can cause certain psychological havoc. In these cases it is vital to have the help of a professional to find the best method to combat liars.
How to help a compulsive liar?
The focus of therapy must be on working on self-esteem and social skills. It is important to try to be honest with the people around you if you have not yet lost your way, accept and learn to tolerate the conflict and admit the problem you have.
From there, the work has to focus on rebuilding their life based on reality and working on the person’s skills and resources to become the person they wanted to be, but this time for real. Obviously this work is very difficult to do without the help of a psychotherapy professional. Therefore, a therapeutic process is essential to get rid of the problem of mythomania
