Types of Lie

Types of Lie distinguished between outright lies, exaggerations and subtle lies. Outright lies (also referred to as falsifications) are lies in which the information conveyed is completely different from or contradictory to what the deceiver believes is the truth. A guilty suspect who assures the police that he has not committed the crime is telling an outright lie. Exaggerations are lies in which the facts are overstated or information is conveyed that exceeds the truth. For example, suspects can embellish their remorse for committing a crime during a police interview. Subtle lying involves literal truths that are designed to mislead. The former president of the USA, Bill Clinton, was telling such a lie in 1998 when he said to the American people that he ‘‘did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky’’. The lie was subtle, because the statement implied that nothing of a sexual nature had happened between them, whereas he was relying on the narrower definition by which they did not have sexual intercourse. Another type of subtle lying involves concealing information by evading the question or omitting relevant details. Passengers who tell customs officers what is in their luggage are concealing information if they deliberately fail to mention that they also have illegal drugs in the luggage.