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5 Different Types of Liars

Lying can be devastating. Not only does it hurt the one who is being lied to, but it also hurts the one lying. Interestingly, there are a number of different types of liars. Here are 5 of them.

Sociopathic Liars

Sociopaths are defined as someone who lies continuously in an attempt to get their own way, without showing care or concern for others. These individuals are goal-oriented.

Even though it might seem hard to believe, lying is focused – they are focused on getting their own way. Sociopaths don’t have a lot of respect or regard for the feelings and rights of others. They tend to be charismatic and charming, but they will use their exceptional social skills in a self-centered and manipulative manner.

Compulsive Liars

Compulsive liars are defined as someone who continually lies from sheer habit. Lying tends to be their normal manner of responding to any questions from others.

These individuals will always bend the truth, regardless of how small or large the question is. For these individuals, telling the truth doesn’t feel right. They are uncomfortable whenever they tell the truth, while lying makes them feel right.

Compulsive lying is often thought to manifest during childhood, due to being put into situations and environments where lying became a necessity. Most of the time, compulsive liars aren’t cunning or manipulative, rather they only lie because it has become such a habit for them.

This automatic response is more difficult to break. It can end up taking its toll on being able to maintain a relationship. Many people also call these individuals pathological liars or habitual liars, but they all mean the same thing.

Occasional Liars

Occasional liars are those who seldom tell a lie. When they do, they are so blown away by what they said that their guilt overcomes them. These individuals are quick to ask for forgiveness from the individual that they lied to.

Occasional liars might not be perfect, but they are often respected for their attempts at being truthful and humble enough to admit when they are wrong.

Careless Liars

Careless liars will go about their normal lives and lie every way they can. This individual isn’t concerned about trying to hide their lies or making sure they make sense. Everyone knows that the person isn’t being honest because they tend to be sloppy with their lies. They don’t have a lot of friends because most people get tired of hearing their twisted stories.

White Liars

People who tell white lies don’t usually think of themselves as true “liars”. They justify their white lies as harmless, or even beneficial, in the long term. They will sometimes tell only part of the truth, and not be suspected of lying at all. White liars may use their lies to to shield someone from what they believe is a hurtful or damaging truth.

Sadly, lying is a common denominator in many of our lives and recognizing some of the different types might just help us in dealing with the liar in our lives.

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Derick

Tuesday 21st of August 2018

Let us not judge one another, we all lie, fact! If you can say you have never lied then you can throw the first stone. A lie is a lie is a lie! Can anyone justify lies? A great person said 'the Truth will set you free'! No one truly believes that a lie can set you free and I do not know anyone who can live a lie in life or in death without the truth coming out. It boils down to, are we being deceived or deceiving ourselves. If we can deal with the cause of our lies (if I have lied, I need to admit it, tell the truth and live the consequences and do it no more.) firstly searching ourselves for the truth and if, we do not know why we lie, we need to search ourselves even more, we cannot do it on our own, we need to know the truth and what the truth is and it's characteristics! Let us seek the truth in love and we will be free from our lies! I read the bible where there are many situation where people like me have lied and lessons are to be learned about how we can avoid the lying trap and learn from the errors of others that are so like ours. You mite say that the bible is not for you or that it is out dated but if you have not read it, for example the Psalms, or Proverbs it cannot hurt to take a look. Once you get past the language or find a clear version and then if you do not find it helps you may seek some other source of wisdom other than your friend's who may be in the same situation as you or deceived and willing to give poor advise that has failed them in the passed. I am not wanting to push the bible it is that it works for me. For example: Proverbs 15:1-2

15 A soft answer turned away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge aright( in a right form; without mistake or crime.): but the mouth of fools poured out foolishness.

So when someone is upset, out of character and come with anger if your response is calm and not judging way, using the knowledge of how the person behaves when they are calm you could avoid confrontation. Just test it, you have nothing to lose. Ask for forgiveness and learn to forgive and see how easy the truth is once you are free from lies!

Lesley Shurlock

Tuesday 31st of July 2018

My neighbourhood told malicious lies when I was trying to help her. I knew some were lies at the time and tried to explain. The other issues, I looked into and found were malicious and were said against me in a wicked attempt to upset me, which they did. This was such a terrible shock. I wrote a carefully worded letter explaining the facts, not saying anything nasty about her. A month later she was in her garden telling my friend over the fence more lies about me. Then she said she had decided not to read my letter so as to keep a pleasant atmosphere! It wasn't as if my letter was rude, my letter was my attempt to explain the facts where she had told a lot of lies. I didn't even say they were lies, I just said what the truth was in a matter of fact way. I think she was gas-lighting me. I am sure she has a personality disorder and I hope to avoid her but it seems unfair that she is getting away with all these lies against me. How do you cope with a neighbour like this? Her father threw rubbish over my fence and broke it and also came into my garden and shouted abuse at me, which was completely without provocation. I was indoors when he started and not even aware he was there. He had also been leaning over my fence trying to pull up one of my small trees, shaking it vigorously back and forth, while looking at me through my window. I only knew because my dog barked and when I saw him looking at me it gave me a fright. His daughter lied about what he did but she was not even there. What do you do about this?

Robert Skorstad

Saturday 26th of May 2018

Glad to see I'm not alone and reading all the comments took some weight off my shoulders. I've been with my girlfriend 20 yrs to beautiful daughters. I guess you can be all 5 types of liers in one. Big or little she'll tell it. Just because she is a lil petite 100lbs dancers that's what people see. I see someone who the devil would fear himself. If the CiA teaches a class on how to lie she'd be the professor. When confronted about a lie talk about heartless this will blow up and be my fault I'm doing something wrong and I need to pack and leave then that's the end of convo like nothing ever happened no remorse no apologies just dropped I get so embarrassed when we go out she will strike up conversations right of the bat with a lie and I'm blown away and speechless. I understand a white lie maybe not hurt someone's feelings but lie for no reason is beyond me. She finally admitted she's a lier caught her at a local bar when she said she was leaving work coming home but the bars a block from the house wouldn't even cared if she went if she told me but she tells me she just got there and had one drink she had to stop across the street for cigarettes 10 mins ago I'm like you bought them there across the street ten mins they closed an hr ago she swore up and down she got them there next morning had her meet me there after she dropped the kids off. Asked the clerk when they close register was closed at 12 not one. Then she's trying to tell the guy he's lying and he's holding proof in his hand they were closed. So a little argument in the parking lot she called it out she's a lier and I'm like for what like I cared if you went to the bar just tell me it's late I don't want to have to worry at 2 am and you left work at midnight and hell I care less where you even buy your cigarettes. Its so gut sicking but glad I read these feel a little better because I'm in the dog house for something I didn't do but she already has her mind made up that I'm lying.she does this quite often but I always have proof to show I've learned to do this over the yrs but what I need to get is a recorder to tape all our conversations since I wear a hearing aid. My fault I never hear her. That's a lie to. I don't know how I've handled this for 20 and hope this behavior doesn't put my health at risk but it felt like it already has

Lesley Shurlock

Tuesday 31st of July 2018

Hi Robert, I really feel for you. I grew up with an older half-sister who told huge lies and I never knew what to do when she started telling them. I don't know how you cope. Your lady sounds like she has a mental disorder. The type that the person with it does not suffer at all but everyone around them goes through hell. If it's really getting you down and spoiling your life, do you think it's worth staying with her? I understand the huge difficulties of splitting up but I did it after 23 years of being abused by a covert narcissist. For years I didn't know what was going on and he had me stuck in his web of lies and gas-lighting and sheer threats. Then I just could not take any more. Also I was scared he had started on our eldest daughter. So I started legal Separation proceedings. It took me about 5 years after leaving to start to be my real self, to breath deeper and sleep properly. It was worth it. I just hope somehow you can find a way where you preserve your own life in sanity and have some happiness, Robert. I'll pray for you. Good luck, Lesley.

Karita

Tuesday 22nd of May 2018

Hello, so ill start with my mom, she will take an event and exaggerateand add white lies into it. Or just out of the blue while conversation with someone that she did this or someone did that and,blah blah and,turn to me or my siblings if they're around and ask or say....do you remember that, or something along them lines trying to get me or them or us to agree with it....my older sister and my mom will both just make up stories/events/lies over exaggerate take certain parts out of the event and bend the truth sometimes a little sometimes a lot....I'm not so sure if my mom,actually believes her lies are true or if she knows she has been telling stories that don't exist. My sister will come up with the craziest crap, wild stories sometimes stories that seem just too simple to lie about and most of the time unfortunately I don't know what to ever believe. Its really hard for me because its embarrassing and I don't want to go along with their made up or exaggerated stories but yet I don't want,to,make them feel or look like fools in front of other people. My big brother will tell little white lies like say he did something kinda like a good deed or show someone how to fix something the right way because he knows how to do it all and like ive said about my mom and sister its hard to decipher what's true and what's not. I and,not going to say I haven't lied because I have many times to save my ads from getting in trouble and what not, the thing is is I can be an amazing liar to make my mom, in laws while in school such as teachers, principals, and even,law enforcement. I do not like this feature of me but sometimes it come in good handy. my husband is a very honest person(no ones perfect he's told white lies and stuff like that...human nature) and so is his family for like the half part instead of the most part, because they don't share everything with me. For instance I will have,to puzzle piece together a lot of things before i find out what they've actually said, or have to be....but with my husband he sometimes has a hard time believing me because of my family members and the experience I have with lying.....its really hard to live a life like this when,your co,sidered to have the-lying-gene and actually prove that i am an honest person for the most part...what do I do? I feel torn all the time. honesty and trust is what most couples build a relationship on followed by other factors. its hard to explain what im asking but I would appreciate any positive advice on how to change my families relationship of lying and also how to improve my relationship so my soul-mate can trust me no matter what circumstances we may face or go through Thank you for your time!

Tony

Wednesday 5th of July 2017

I lied to my ex-gf about so many things, not because I had despicable intentions or anything like that, most of the time I even believed the lies I told, I was scary good at being someone else that I don't think she ever knew the real me, I'll never lie to a partner again, I don't want to hurt another as I hurt her, I know she'll move on, she's tough, but I'll never forget my heinous lies, which is okay.