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Is there a technical term for this behavior?

Started by Dana Roberts · · 👁 4 views · 17 replies

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Participants Dana RobertsCarl Rodriguez5Andrew DoyleRoger Kern16Jamie Adams6Betty FowlerPeter Sanders
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#1 ·
Greetings, everyone. I’ve been an avid reader of this forum for quite some time now, but today I felt compelled to step out of the shadows and initiate what I hope will be a truly constructive dialogue on a specific subject.
I am curious to know if there is a formal psychological term for a particular phenomenon: when an individual says one thing, yet their actions tell a completely different story. Specifically, I'm thinking of those who verbally condemn a certain behavior while simultaneously engaging in it themselves. Some people might dismiss this by saying, "Well, that's just how everyone operates these days," but I find that answer rather unsatisfying. In your estimation, does this fall under the umbrella of pathological lying, or is it perhaps something else entirely—maybe a complex blend of various psychological drivers?
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#2 ·
It’s all part of the same pattern. You’ll find yourself talking to someone who swears up and down they’re against a certain move, only to watch them turn around and execute that exact same thing the very next day. Honestly, you start to wonder if it isn't just pathological lying at this point.
Carl Rodriguez5 Carl Rodriguez5 Newcomer
6 messages
joined Jan 2017
#3 ·
Dana Roberts said:It’s all part of the same pattern. You’ll find yourself talking to someone who swears up and down they’re against a certain move, only to watch them turn around and execute that exact same thing the very next day. Honestly, you start to wonder if it isn't just pathological lying at this point.

I wouldn't call that pathological lying. That is just classic hypocrisy—saying one thing and doing another.
It's a terrible trait to have, sure, but it isn't quite a symptom.

Pathological lying is when someone lies constantly, so frequently and so convincingly that they actually start believing their own fabrications. Sometimes they lie just for the sake of lying, but usually, it's an attempt to paint themselves in a better light or to seem more important than they really are. You see it all the time with those tall tales about their massive successes, their high-profile connections, or how close they supposedly are to some big-shot CEO or celebrity.
Pathological lying isn't really a standalone diagnosis; it’s typically a symptom tied to deeper personality disorders.

When I say they lie to look better, I mean they genuinely want to believe the version of themselves they've created through these lies. Honestly, it can be tricky to catch them because they’ll lie about things so trivial that you don't even think twice about why anyone would bother lying about such nonsense.
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#4 ·
That’s certainly true, though I’ve always felt there is a thin, almost pathological line separating a chronic liar from a hypocrite. In my experience, a hypocrite is essentially just a liar who lacks the courage to align their actions with their words; they're constantly deceiving everyone by projecting one image while behaving in a completely different way.
Carl Rodriguez5 Carl Rodriguez5 Newcomer
6 messages
joined Jan 2017
#5 ·
Dana Roberts said:That’s certainly true, though I’ve always felt there is a thin, almost pathological line separating a chronic liar from a hypocrite. In my experience, a hypocrite is essentially just a liar who lacks the courage to align their actions with their words; they're constantly deceiving everyone by projecting one image while behaving in a completely different way.

A hypocrite is the type of person who’ll lecture you about cheating while they’re secretly seeing someone else on the side, all while coming up with a dozen excuses as to why their "affair" just doesn't count the same way yours does.

Now, pathological lying is a different beast entirely. That's when you sit there at a dinner party telling everyone this grand story about how you heroically pulled an elderly woman and her little dog out of a burning apartment building, when in reality, the only fire you ever saw was one on a news broadcast on CNN.

They are two completely different things.
Andrew Doyle Andrew Doyle Regular
268 messages
joined Aug 2011
#6 ·
Dana Roberts said:Greetings, everyone. I’ve been an avid reader of this forum for quite some time now, but today I felt compelled to step out of the shadows and initiate what I hope will be a truly constructive dialogue on a specific subject.
I am curious to know if there is a formal psychological term for a particular phenomenon: when an individual says one thing, yet their actions tell a completely different story. Specifically, I'm thinking of those who verbally condemn a certain behavior while simultaneously engaging in it themselves. Some people might dismiss this by saying, "Well, that's just how everyone operates these days," but I find that answer rather unsatisfying. In your estimation, does this fall under the umbrella of pathological lying, or is it perhaps something else entirely—maybe a complex blend of various psychological drivers?

It’s called hypocrisy. Look up the definition of a hypocrite. And honestly, based on everything I see nowadays, that seems to be the absolute baseline requirement for getting into politics.
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#7 ·
Haha, you’re absolutely right—those are the fundamental principles of politics. But let’s be honest, there are hypocrites everywhere, even outside of political circles or among the general public. You can find them in any walk of life if you look hard enough. There are certain people I personally would never have believed, simply because they were so vocal and public about their opposition to things before eventually turning around and doing the exact opposite.
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#8 ·
Carl Rodriguez5 said:A hypocrite is the type of person who’ll lecture you about cheating while they’re secretly seeing someone else on the side, all while coming up with a dozen excuses as to why their "affair" just doesn't count the same way yours does.

Now, pathological lying is a different beast entirely. That's when you sit there at a dinner party telling everyone this grand story about how you heroically pulled an elderly woman and her little dog out of a burning apartment building, when in reality, the only fire you ever saw was one on a news broadcast on CNN.

They are two completely different things.

I’d say they're as different as they are similar—to my mind, hypocrisy is just a much more bloated, heavy-handed version of lying. 😉
Roger Kern16 Roger Kern16 Member
33 messages
joined Nov 2017
#9 ·
Dana Roberts said:I’d say they're as different as they are similar—to my mind, hypocrisy is just a much more bloated, heavy-handed version of lying. 😉

Not necessarily. A lot of hypocrites don't even realize they're doing it; they just project their own flaws onto everyone else. Look up psychological projection as a defense mechanism if you want to get into it.
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#10 ·
Roger Kern16 said:Not necessarily. A lot of hypocrites don't even realize they're doing it; they just project their own flaws onto everyone else. Look up psychological projection as a defense mechanism if you want to get into it.

I’m not so sure about that—it’s hard to imagine someone being completely oblivious when they’re actively criticizing one thing while doing the exact opposite themselves.🤷
Though, I suppose it really does come down to the individual, specifically their level of maturity and core character.
Roger Kern16 Roger Kern16 Member
33 messages
joined Nov 2017
#11 ·
Dana Roberts said:I’m not so sure about that—it’s hard to imagine someone being completely oblivious when they’re actively criticizing one thing while doing the exact opposite themselves.🤷
Though, I suppose it really does come down to the individual, specifically their level of maturity and core character.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#12 ·
I’ve seen just about everything there is to see in this life. I once spent an entire afternoon debating a guy who was absolutely incredulous, asking how on earth anyone could possibly "do something like that," only to find out later that he had been doing the exact same thing himself all along.
Roger Kern16 Roger Kern16 Member
33 messages
joined Nov 2017
#13 ·
Has it ever happened to you where you swear "never in a million years..." and then end up eating your words later? Like, seriously... ever?
I think most people actually mean what they say in the moment. It’s just that things get messy when life forces you to actually back those words up with real action. 😁
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#14 ·
I’ve certainly had my share of similar experiences, though perhaps not involving anything particularly massive or high-stakes 😉
Jamie Adams6 Jamie Adams6 Active Member
79 messages
joined Sep 2017
#15 ·
Yeah, classic hypocrisy—it’s so freaking common and normal that you could probably bet anything we’re all hypocrites in one way or another, no exceptions. It’s just super obvious with people who push certain ideologies (like feminism or religion) and then... well, their actual actions don't even come close to the image they're trying to sell.
Betty Fowler Betty Fowler Active Member
112 messages
joined Apr 2018
#16 ·
Dana Roberts said:Greetings, everyone. I’ve been an avid reader of this forum for quite some time now, but today I felt compelled to step out of the shadows and initiate what I hope will be a truly constructive dialogue on a specific subject.
I am curious to know if there is a formal psychological term for a particular phenomenon: when an individual says one thing, yet their actions tell a completely different story. Specifically, I'm thinking of those who verbally condemn a certain behavior while simultaneously engaging in it themselves. Some people might dismiss this by saying, "Well, that's just how everyone operates these days," but I find that answer rather unsatisfying. In your estimation, does this fall under the umbrella of pathological lying, or is it perhaps something else entirely—maybe a complex blend of various psychological drivers?

Hypocrisy.

If that hypocrisy is extreme and becomes a constant part of their daily life, you’re likely looking at some form of psychopathy.
Peter Sanders Peter Sanders Newcomer
2 messages
joined Jul 2018
#17 ·
Dana Roberts said:Greetings, everyone. I’ve been an avid reader of this forum for quite some time now, but today I felt compelled to step out of the shadows and initiate what I hope will be a truly constructive dialogue on a specific subject.
I am curious to know if there is a formal psychological term for a particular phenomenon: when an individual says one thing, yet their actions tell a completely different story. Specifically, I'm thinking of those who verbally condemn a certain behavior while simultaneously engaging in it themselves. Some people might dismiss this by saying, "Well, that's just how everyone operates these days," but I find that answer rather unsatisfying. In your estimation, does this fall under the umbrella of pathological lying, or is it perhaps something else entirely—maybe a complex blend of various psychological drivers?

It definitely exists.
Pure Republicanism.
Dana Roberts Dana Roberts NewcomerOP
9 messages
joined Jul 2018
#18 ·
🥱
Peter Sanders said:It definitely exists.
Pure Republicanism.

Actually, it isn't just limited to one party; on a global scale, you could apply this logic to any political faction. What we're really talking about here is pure politicism.👍

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