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What is deception in psychology?
Why do people deceive?
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A large body of research identifies three major reasons why people lie: to get something they want, so-called instrumental reasons; to protect or promote themselves; and to harm others.
- Overview
- Examples of Deception in a Relationship
- Deception vs. Lying
- Is Omitting Information a Form of Deception?
- Why Do People Deceive Their Partners?
- How Deception Harms Relationships
- How to Tell If My Partner Is Deceiving Me
- What to Do If You Learn That Your Partner Has Deceived You
- Rebuilding Trust in Your Relationship
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Deception involves lying, distorting facts, making up stories, hiding the truth, or misleading someone in some way. It can be harmful to relationships because it violates trust.
The mildest form of deception is a white lie. For example, we might tell our partner that their joke was super funny or that their new haircut doesn’t totally suck. We all do it from time to time.
These little white lies are usually harmless, but a pattern of subtle lying can be a dangerous path to go down. When the white lies go past the harmless "trying to protect your feelings" variety, they enter deceptive territory. Deception can also involve more serious offenses, like cheating or gaslighting.
If you think your partner’s acting a little sketchy, you might wonder whether they’re deceiving you in some way and what you should do about it.
In this article, we explore what deception could look like in relationships, why people do it, and how it can harm relationships. We also ask a relationship expert for some tips on how to rebuild trust in relationships.
These are some examples of deception in relationships:
•Telling white lies: We might tell our partner we’re on our way to dinner while we’re still getting ready. Or, we might pretend we have a really early start the next day if we’re not in the mood to hang out with our partner’s annoying friend. All of us are guilty of telling these lies to avoid hurting our partner’s feelings or avert confrontation.
•Lying: While little white lies can sometimes smooth things over, there are times when we might find ourselves fibbing about where we are or what we're up to, to avoid conflict or scrutiny perhaps. For instance, we may claim we’re working late at work, instead of admitting that we’re at a poker game instead.
•Concealing finances: Talking about money can be tough, and there may be instances where we've struggled to be upfront about our income, debts, or spending habits, either out of fear or due to the pressure of maintaining a certain image. For example, we may not be honest with our partner about how much we spent on those new shoes. Research shows that financial deception is quite common among couples.
•Embellishing our backgrounds: In wanting to impress a new flame, we may stretch the truth about our background or who we really are, presenting a more desirable version of ourselves to win their approval.
•Fabricating stories: We may spin a tale or two to manipulate our partner's perception of us. Whether it's conjuring up a sob story to earn their sympathy or inflating our achievements to impress them, we've all been there at some point.
While deception and lying are very similar, they’re not exactly the same thing.
Lying refers specifically to the act of making a false statement. Deception, on the other hand, is a much broader term that encompasses any act or strategy intended to mislead or create a false impression. It can involve actions, words, or omissions. Lying is essentially a smaller subset of deceptive behavior.
Omitting information can definitely be a form of deception.
For example, we may neglect to tell our partner important information about ourselves, like the fact that we’ve been engaged or married before. We may worry about how it would affect their view of us. However, when they find out, they’ll probably be upset and hurt that they weren’t trusted with that information.
Or, we may go to a party where we bump into our ex. We may choose to leave out that information when we tell our partner about the party, to avoid upsetting them. However, if they ever find out, they’ll probably be more mad that they weren’t told about it.
Or, we may be experiencing financial difficulties and avoid telling our partner about it because we don’t want to stress them out. However, financial transparency is important in relationships, so that partners can support each other and find solutions together.
We may not set out to mislead our partners, but we may end up deceiving them as we navigate the messy terrain of relationships.
While each situation is unique, some common reasons for deception in relationships include:
•Avoiding conflict: We might tell a little lie or deceive our partners to avoid getting into a fight.
•Preserving our self-image: We all want to look good in our partner’s eyes. We might brag a little and exaggerate our successes or downplay our flaws, to maintain our self-image.
•Seeking approval: We may stretch the truth a little bit to win our partner’s approval. For example, we may say “I love hiking on holiday too!,” even if we don’t particularly enjoy it.
•Hiding insecurity: We may feel insecure and fear losing our partners if we reveal our vulnerabilities to them, so we might choose to deceive them instead.
We tapped Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and relationship expert, to help us understand how deception can harm relationships.
Deception harms a relationship because it erodes trust on both sides.
— SABRINA ROMANOFF, PSYD
Dr. Romanoff explains that the person being deceived may struggle to fully trust their partner and believe that their words, actions and behaviors are genuine. “The deceiver may struggle to trust that their partner wants to be with the real them and fear losing them–although this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as they deceive their partners and end up losing them as a result.”
These are 10 signs that your partner might be deceiving you:
•Unexplained behavior changes: Your partner is suddenly doing something different, such as coming home late every night.
•Inconsistent stories: Their story doesn’t seem to match up with what they’ve told you before. Some of the details have changed and things don’t seem to add up.
•Defensive reactions: They respond to an innocent situation or question with a disproportionately defensive reaction.
•Evasive body language: Your partner’s body language seems sketchy. They don't meet your eyes, turn their body away from you, fidget constantly, or touch their face a lot while talking.
•Altered communication patterns: They avoid certain topics, becoming vague, distant, and dismissive when you bring them up.
Learning that your partner has deceived you can be a tough pill to swallow, but how you navigate the aftermath can shape the future of your relationship.
These are some strategies that may be helpful:
•Reflect on your emotions: It’s normal to feel angry, betrayed, or hurt in this situation. Take a moment to reflect on your emotions to understand what you’re feeling and why.
•Share your feelings: Talk to your partner about how the impact of their actions. Instead of accusing them, tell them how their actions made you feel, using “I feel” statements. For example, instead of saying “You're keeping secrets from me by not telling me that your ex texted you,” you could say “I felt hurt, sad, and disappointed when I found out that you kept this from me.”
•Try to see things from their side: Dr. Romanoff recommends approaching the conversation with your partner from a place of curiosity instead of blame, asking them why they did what they did instead of shaming them and labeling them. Try to see things from their side and understand why they did it. Understanding does not excuse the behavior but it can provide you both with more information about how to proceed. If your partner is lying because they are worried about hurting your feelings, you can discuss ways to co-create a safe space to share vulnerable or sensitive information with each other in the future.
•Evaluate the relationship: Depending on the frequency and seriousness of the offense, you might need to evaluate the relationship and determine whether you can still be with your partner. Are their values too dissimilar to yours for the relationship to work? For instance, if they have been unfaithful to you and their deception has fundamentally broken your trust, you may find that you can’t be with the person anymore.
If you and your partner are working on your relationship, it's important to rebuild the trust that was broken, in order to move forward.
These are some strategies that can help you rebuild the trust in your relationship:
•Prioritize open and honest communication: Keep the communication lines with your partner open. Discuss the reasons behind the breach of trust, express your feelings, and listen to your partner's perspective. Practice radical honesty with each other and work together to create new communication practices that are emotionally safe for both of you and free of blame, shame, or judgment.
•Give them a chance: Give your partner a chance to apologize and make it up to you. “Be patient as your partner makes sincere efforts to rekindle the connection,” says Dr. Romanoff.
•Let them earn your trust again: You have to give them the chance to earn your trust again. Trust is built over many instances demonstrating consistency and reliability, says Dr. Romanoff. “Give your partner the opportunity to prove their trustworthiness by showing up for you and meeting your needs in small ways, and progressively up the ante over time.”
•Be patient: Rebuilding trust takes time, and patience is crucial. Understand that healing is a gradual process, and both of you may need time to rebuild your confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there ever a good time to deceive a partner? While deceiving your partner is not ideal, it may be acceptable in some circumstances, such as: Planning a surprise for them Shielding them from worry or harm Being unable to share something with them for legal reasons Choosing not to share certain personal thoughts or experiences with them to maintain your privacy Should I break up with my partner if they've deceived me? Deciding whether or not to break up with a partner who has deceived you is a deeply personal choice and depends on various factors, such as the severity of the deception and their reasons for deceiving you. You should also consider your personal boundaries regarding what is acceptable as well as your feelings for them and your confidence that they will not violate your trust again. How to Fix a Relationship After Cheating By Sanjana Gupta Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
(A Definition) . Deception is intentionally misleading others through words, actions, or omissions to create a false perception or belief. It’s important to note that there’s an intention to deceive. So, if you unintentionally mislead, like giving someone wrong information because your memory is incorrect, then it’s not deception.
- Introduction. The art of deception – it’s an intriguing concept, isn’t it? It’s like a clandestine dance between the truth and lies, a complex game of hide and seek.
- Understanding the Psychology of Deception. Delving into the psychology of deception is like embarking on an intriguing expedition into the human mind.
- Types of Deception: An In-depth Look. Now, hold on to your hats folks, because we’re about to dive into the myriad types of deception. It’s like opening Pandora’s box – you never know what you’re going to find!
- The Effects of Deception on Individuals and Society. Deception is like a silent storm; its effects can be far-reaching and devastating, often impacting both individuals and society at large.
- Concealed true intentions. Be leery of someone who consistently encourages others to share first. This behavior allows an individual to study the response of others and then adopt it as their own.
- Effortless work. This deceptive person takes credit for the work of others. They gather information, projects, and insights from those around them and place their name at the top of the list.
- Unnecessary drama. The easiest sleight of hand is to create an irresistible proposal or unnecessary drama. This forces the other person to come to the deceiver and address the issue.
- Withholding instruction. One of the ways to keep a person dependent is to teach only a small amount of information and withhold the rest of the valuable knowledge so that without returning to the instructor, the student will fail.
Deception is a major relational transgression that often leads to feelings of betrayal and distrust. Deception violates relational rules and is considered to be a negative violation of expectations. Most people expect friends, relational partners, and even strangers to be truthful most of the time.
Jun 15, 2022 · What do people deceive about? Why can digital media users be susceptible to mis- and disinformation? Interpersonal social psychology and communication research on deception informs us about characteristics, content, and language of deceit that can be identified with analytical thinking or by automated means.
