Causes of Lying

How many people can say that they have never lied? In all sincerity, there is no one that could confess that. “A lie is an untruth, a deviation, big or small, from what is known to be real. It is a false statement deliberately presented as being true, thus misrepresenting a situation or giving a totally wrong impression about something” (“Why people lie”). It’s a natural feeling to want to lie or omit the truth to get out of a difficult situation. Most of the time people are dishonest because they fear that telling the truth will get them in trouble. The main motives that cause people to lie are the attempts to avoid punishment, to seek attention, and to protect others feelings.
One of the most common reasons that people “tweak” the truth is to avoid punishment. The consequences of our actions can sometimes be frightful and in order to cover up a certain incident we find it necessary to blame someone or something else. A good example would be telling a teacher the dog ate your homework. This person blamed the dog to get away with forgetting to do their worksheet; therefore, they avoided getting a zero for the assignment. If a guy sees an attractive woman walk by while he is on a date with his girlfriend, it is normal for him to want to get a better glance. At this point it is reasonable for his “sweetie” to question if he was staring and if so, why? Of course the boy was admiring the lovely lady’s beauty, but in order to avoid an argument or even a break up the young man simply explains how he only has eyes for his divine girlfriend. In order to stay out of trouble people must do what they have to stay in the clear. If that means another person has to face the cost of another peer’s action, well so be it.
Another instance in which lying is quite popular is when individuals want to seek attention. Sometimes people just want to fit in and be accepted by their associates, but in order to do that they must provide false information. “It boils down to the