pathology of lying-第21章

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tives　knew　nothing。　　Naturally；　the　mother　gave　us　no　account　of　the　development　of　the　tendency　to　lying；　she　merely　glossed　over　her　daughter's　deceptions。　　The　father；　who　had　been　obliged　to　work　away　from　home　much　during　Gertrude's　early　years；　merely　knew　that　at　about　the　time　she　left　school；　namely　14　years；　she　began　to　lie　excessively。

Anything　like　a　complete　account　of　Gertrude's　prevarications；　even　as　we　know　them；　would　require　much　space。　　Some　idea　of　their　quantity　and　quality　may　be　gained　from　the　facts　which　we　have　gleaned　from　several　sources。　　As　might　be　supposed；　Gertrude　has　established　a　reputation　for　falsification　among　many　of　her　acquaintances。　　One　friend　tells　how　she　represented　herself　as　a　half　orphan；　living　with　a　hard…hearted　step…mother。　　Demanding　promises　of　secrecy；　Gertrude　told　this　girl　about　a　sum　which　she　had　with　much　difficulty　gradually　saved　from　her　earnings　in　order　to　buy　needed　clothes。　　She　asked　the　friend　to　come　and　help　her　make　a　selection。　　（Now　the　20　or　so　that　was　spent　Gertrude　had　stolen。　　By　following　her　strange　impulse　she；　with　danger　to　herself；　related　a　complicated　story　to　this　other　girl　who　needed　to　know　nothing　of　any　part　of　the　affair。）　　We　have　knowledge　of　scores　of　other　fabrications　which　were　detected。　　They　include　her　alleged　attendance　at　a　course　of　lectures；　her　possession　of　a　certain　library　card；　and　her　working　in　various　places。　　For　many　of　these　stories　not　a　shadow　of　a　reason　appearedespecially　during　the　time　we　have　known　her　she　has　had　every　incentive　to　tell　the　truth　about　everything。

When　by　virtue　of　our　court　work　we　first　knew　the　case；　her　lying　centered　about　her　other　delinquencies；　but　even　so　its　peculiar　characteristics　stood　out　sharply。

Gertrude　was　held　to　the　adult　court　in　the　matter　of　the　forgery　of　a　check；　which　had　been　presented　in　an　envelope　to　a　bank　teller　by　her　and　cashed　as　in　the　regular　line　of　business　between　the　bank　and　the　firm　for　which　she　worked。　　Finding　the　girl　had　lied　about　her　age；　she　was　held；　after　the　preliminary　hearing；　to　the　proper　court。　　There；　in　turn；　she　did　not　appear　at　the　right　time；　it　being　stated　that　she　was　sick　in　a　hospital。　　One　officer　knew　better　and　further　investigation　showed　that　Gertrude　herself　had　come　to　the　court；　represented　herself　as　her　sister；　and　made　the　false　statement　about　the　illness。　　A　telephone　call　the　same　afternoon　to　her　house　Gertrude　answered。


Months　of　difficulty　with　the　case　began　now。　　Her　employer　and　all　concerned　experienced　much　difficulty　in　getting　at　the　truth　of　the　forgery；　particularly　through　her　clever　implication　of　a　man　who　had　no　easy　task　in　freeing　himself。　　Even　after　the　girl　confessed　herself　a　confirmed　liar　she　told　more　untruths　which　were　peculiarly　hard　to　unravel。　　Gertrude's　firm　bearing；　her　comparative　refinement　and　her　ability　made　every　one　unusually　anxious　to　do　her　justice；　and　to　save　her　from　her　own　self…damaging　tendencies。

During　the　continuance　of　the　case；　when　all　her　interests　demanded　her　good　behavior；　Gertrude　could　not　refrain　from　what　were　almost　orgies　of　lying　and　deceit。　　She　well　realized　how　this　would　count　against　her　and；　indeed；　wrote　letters　of　apology　repeatedly　for　her　misconduct。

‘‘Let　me　come　and　tell　you　all。　　The　time　has　come　when　things　must　stop；　therefore　I　feel　that　I　must　talk　to　someone。　　I　have　lived　a　lie　from　the　day　I　was　born　until　now。''

After　these　letters　she　went　on　making　false　statements　which　could　readily　be　checked　up。　　Nothing　is　any　more　curious　in　Gertrude's　case　than　the　anomaly　of　her　telling　several　of　us　who　tried　to　help　her　that　up　to　the　time　of　the　given　interview　she　had　not　thoroughly　realized　how　bad　it　was　to　lie；　and　how　she　now　felt　keenly　that　she　must　cease；　while　perhaps　at　the　end　of　the　very　same　interview　a　reaction　to　a　new　situation　would　produce　more　fabrications。　　Personally　I　have　seen　nothing　any　more　suggestive　of　the　typical　toper's　good　resolutions　and　sudden　falling　from　grace。

The　story　of　the　forged　check　was　fancifully　embellished　and　ever　more　details　were　supplied　at　pleasure。　　While　this　matter　was　under　investigation　Gertrude　stayed　away　from　home　several　nights；　two　of　which　have　never　been　accounted　for。　　She　told　fairly　plausible　stories　about　going　out　of　town；　but　she　first　should　have　studied　time　tables　to　make　them　wholly　convincing。　　The　mother；　too；　told　that　the　girl　had　been　out　of　town；　but　in　this　she　was　caught；　for　it　was　found　that　Gertrude　had　been　part　of　the　time　with　other　relatives。

The　main　story　of　the　check　involved　a　man　who　worked　in　the　same　office。　　She　stated　that　he　made　an　immoral　proposal　to　her　on　the　basis　of　immunity　from　prosecution。　　After　a　couple　of　months　Gertrude　got　round　to　confessing　that　she　alone　was　responsible　for　the　entire　forgery　and　that　her　previous　quite　clever　stories　were　not　true。　　Her　main　confession　was　made　in　the　form　of　a　long　letter　written　entirely　aside　from　the　influence　of　any　one。　　In　this　she　also　stated　that　she　had　stolen　money　and　jewelry；　which　was　known　to　have　been　taken。　　There　was　no　untrue　self…　accusation；　except　that　she　may　have　exaggerated　her　own　tendency　to　falsify　at　a　very　early　age。　　Naturally；　in　such　a　case　as　this；　even　the　latest　confession　must　always　be　taken　cum　grano　salis。

Passing　from　the　above　probably　sufficient　account　of　Gertrude's　falsifications　as　we　knew　them；　we　can　take　up　her　mental　life　and　traits。　　We　have　had　to　rely　on　the　girl　herself；　as　we　stated　above；　for　many　of　these　facts。　　She　was　brought　up　in　poor　circumstances　in　a　manufacturing　town　in　England　where　there　had　been　many　labor　troubles。　　On　two　occasions　when　she　was　a　child　she　had　seen　encounters　on　the　street；　and　during　one　riot　in　their　neighborhood　her　uncle　was　injured。　　She　was　considerably　frightened；　but；　so　far　as　we　could　learn；　this　was　the　only　time　in　her　life　that　she　experienced　any　fear。　　Very　early　she　found　that　stories　told　to　frighten　her　were　untrue；　and　what　was　said　about　the　undesirability　of　certain　children　as　playmates　proved　false　when　she　came　to　know　them。　　She　early　discovered　that　for　self…satisfaction　she　would　have　to　live　a　mental　life　of　her　own。　　There　were　many　things　which　she　could　not　discuss　with　her　mother。　　In　early　childhood　she　was　a　great　reader　of　novels　and　spent　many　hours　lying　on　the　bed　living　an　imaginary　life。　　She　never　discussed　her　ideas　with　any　one。　　Later　she　took　to　more　serious　reading；　and　of　recent　years　she　has　assailed　many　of　the　world's　greatest　problems。　　Particularly　she　tells　of　the　influence　of　Tolstoi's　‘‘Kreutzer　Sonata''　upon　her。　　During　two　years　she　has　read　it　four　times　and　it　has　convinced　her　of　the　shams　of　character　and　that　people　lead　dual　lives。

When　she　was　about　9　or　10　years　old　she　began　talking　with　other　girls　about　sex　problems　and　up　to　the　present　time　has　never　consulted　any　grown　person　about　them。　　Her　first　information　of　this　kind　was　obtained　from　a　crowd　of　girls　who　used　successfully　to　lie　to　their　teachers　and　mothers　to　get　out　of　school　work。　　Going　further　into　the　question　of　this　hidden　knowledge　of　sex　things；　she　tells　us　she　has　never　worried　much　about　the　things　she　has　heard；　but　she　has　wondered　a　great　deal　and　they　have　often　come　up　in　her　mind。　　She　pursued　the　course　of　asking　many　girls　what　they　knew　about　this　subject　and　then；　getting　unsatisfactory　answers；　picked　up　what　she　could　from　ordinary　literature。　　Gertrude　maintains　that　all　her　dwelling　upon　sex　affairs　never　aroused　within　her　any　specific　desires。　　（Gertrude　is　anything　but　a　sensuous　type　and　it　may　be　that　her　statement　in　this　respect　is　true。）　　When　she　went　to　work　she　fell　in　with　girls　who　talked　excessively　about　boys　and　sex　affairs；　but　at　this　time　she　had　a　mental　world　of　her　own　and　so　did　not　pay　much　attention　to　them。　　Gertrude　talked　much　to　us　of　the　possibility　of　her　studying　civil　law；　history；　economics；　and　so　onit　is　very　clear　that　she　has　really　dwelt　on　the　possibility　of　being　a　student　of　serious　subjects。

Very　willingly　this　young　woman　entered　into　the　problem　of　solving　the　genesis　of　her　own　tendencies。　　She　repeatedly　said　that　she；　of　all　things；　wanted　to　break　herself　of　this。　　She　maintains　she　can　perceive　no　beginnings。　　It　seems　to　her　as　if　she　has　always　been　that　way。　　She　spoke　at　first　of　this　crowd　of　girls　who　successfully　lied　to　their　parents　and　talked　to　her　about　sex　things；　and　we　are　inclined　to　believe　that　this　really　may　have　been　the　beginning；　but　later　she　affirms　this　was　not　the　beginning　and　that　her　lying　began　in　earlier　childhood。　　All　that　she　knows　is　that　it　has　grown　to　be　a　habit　and　now　‘‘when　I　speak　it　comes　right　out。''　　After　she　has　told　a　lie　she　never　thinks　about　it　again　one　way　or　another。　　Her　conscience　does　not　trouble　her　in　the　matter。　　She　does　not　tell　lies　for　what　she　gets　out　of　it；　nor　does　it　give　her　any　particular　pleasure　to　fool　people。　　She　does　not　invent　her　stories；　but　at　the　time　of　talking　to　people　she　simply　says　untrue　things　without　any　thought　beforehand　and　without　any　consideration　afterward。　　To　one　officer　she　flung　the　challenge；　‘‘Oh；　I'm　clever；　you'll　find　that　out。''　　After　months　of　effort　and　when　it　was　clear　that　the　girl　for　her　own　good　must　be　given　a　course　of　training　in　an　institution　she　quite　acquiesced　in　the　wisdom　of　such　procedure；　after　a　few　hours'　rebellion。

It　has　been　noted　by　many　that　one　of　Gertrude's　outstanding　traits　is　her　lack　of　emotion。　　She　never　cries　and　only　rarely　does　the　semblance　of　a　blush　tinge　her　cheeks。　　She　neither　loves　nor　hates　strongly。　　She　seems　remarkably　calm　under　conditions　where　others　storm。　　She　says　she　never　is　frightened；　that　she　never　worries；　or　is　sorry。　　She　is　well　aware　of　her　own　ego；　that　she　may　be　trespassing　upon　the　rights　of　others　never　seems　to　enter　her　head。　　Certain　simulations　of　physical　ailments；　which　at　times　she　showed；　we　could　only　interpret　as　part　of　her　general　tendency　to　misrepresent。

Our　summary　of　the　causative　factors　in　this　case；　made；　unfortunately；　partly　on　the　basis　of　this　unreliable　girl's　testimony；　offers　the　following　explanation　of　her　remarkable　tendencies：

（a）　There　was　early　development　of　an　inner　life　which　dealt　vividly　in　imaginary　situations。　　This　grew　into　a　mental　existence　hidden　entirely　from　the　members　of　her　family。　

（b）　There　was　early　experience　with　successful　lying　on　the　part　of　others；　and　this　as　a　main　episode　probably　occurred　at　the　time　when　the　emotion　natural　to　first　knowledge　of　sex　life　was　present。

（e）　There　was　frequent　experience　with　the　falsifications　which　were　her　mother's　frailty。

（d）　For　her　lying　there　were　no　parental　disciplines　or　corrections　at　any　time；　so　far　as　we　have　been　able　to　learn。

（e）　The　young　woman　shows　unusually　little　emotion；　and　only　sporadically　demonstrates　conscience。

（f）　There　is　unquestionably　marked　habit　formation　in　the　case。


…　Habit　formation：　Very　strong。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Case　8。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Lack　of　parental　correction。　　　　　　　Girl；　age　17　years。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Early　experience　wi