“How do you know when your clients are lying? Their lips are moving!” a mentor once quipped to me. I believe clients’ lies have as much to say about therapists as they do about the people under our care.

What ever happened to the search for truth and understanding the universe? These days, much of what’s done in the name of science has more to do with politics, the securing of grants for educational institutions, and the advancement of a company’s products.

Dr Simon’s series continues with the fourth of ‘ten commandments’ of character development: be honest.

Have you ever had the feeling that something could be wrong — really wrong — with our understanding of human nature and the insights offered into it by psychology research?

Sometimes, people truly don’t know what they’re doing when they engage in behaviors that are harmful to themselves or others. But other times, they know full well what they are doing and simply lie about it.

Feigning ignorance is an effective tactic that manipulates the person confronting the behavior into having doubts about the legitimacy of the issue they’re trying to bring to the other person’s attention.

Disordered characters don’t want you to know what they’re all about or what they’re up to. Lying helps keep them one-up on you and a step ahead of you.