We all know someone who lies more than just talk. Every time they tell us something we have to measure their words very carefully, because we no longer know if it is a reality or an invention. They are compulsive liars and lie is a way of life. In other words, they have mythomania.
What is mythomania?
The mythomania it's a psychological disorder where the person is characterized by pathological lying. He is unable to stop lying and distorting reality. In this way he makes his reality more tolerable, it is a necessity.
A mythomaniac person lies with the aim of get admiration of others. He also does it for to shirk of possible punishment for something he knows he has done wrong. Lying is an addiction for these people because there comes a time when they can't stop doing it. This addictive behavior It is due to the benefits they get when they lie.
What is the difference between mythomania and a casual lie?
Lying is something that is part of our lives from the moment we are aware of it. We resort to it from when we are children and when we are adults. According to a study by the University of Massachusetts, a 60% of people They lie during a conversation at least once. We call these lies “sporadic lies” or casual.
Usually, when we lie, it is usually to avoid hurting another person or to hide something important that you have promised not to tell. However, the mythomaniac lies without having a reason. He does it by compulsion. These people, by lying compulsively, get themselves into uncomfortable situations by making up nonsensical stories or lying in front of people who know the truth. Even so, the mythomaniac will continue lying or telling their false truth despite being aware that they have been discovered.
Since it is a lifestyle, the mythomaniac not only lies on occasions where the truth could harm him. He also does it with the insignificant thingseven if you don't get any reward. Lying is a habit, a pathology.
A pathological liar Not only does he face the difficulty of not being believed, but he also faces losing his job, his family, and even social isolation problems.
Where does the habit of pathological lying come from?
Pathological lying has already been described for the first time more than a century ago in the medical literature. However, to this day it remains a little-studied problem.
After carrying out a review of different medical casesit was discovered that the average stage of this conduct was the adolescenceSpecifically at 16 years old. As far as gender is concerned, there was no difference between men and women, the proportion was the same. In addition, it was discovered that the 40% of these cases presented abnormalities in the nervous systemsuch as epilepsy, infections, or head trauma.
Mythomania can also develop in adulthood. Moreover, it should be noted that this tendency already begins to be seen in childhood, once children begin to speak and distinguish between reality of fantasy.
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The tendency to lie compulsively may be due to the punishments that we have received as children for telling “little lies”. The child learns that if he does not tell the truth he will not be judged or punished. A fact that as he grows he takes it as something normal and turns it into something routine. Therefore, one way to prevent a child from becoming a mythomaniac is do not punish him for telling little lies.
We must know that are part of your imagination and characteristics of their development. That is, they do not do it with any kind of objective beyond avoiding being punished by not playing or watching television. For this reason, it is necessary to explain to them that lying is not okay and instill in them the values of honesty and responsibility.
What happens in the brain of a mythomaniac?
As we have mentioned in previous lines, lying causes them adrenalin. In addition, there is another theory that says that mythomaniacs could have a less reactive amygdala in the face of dishonest attitudes.
According to researchers at the University College Londonwhen we lie for the first time to get something in return, the amygdala is activated. At first, it will produce negative feelings that make us feel bad for having lied and make us not do it. As this progresses and we continue to lie the power of Amygdala activation decreases. So we no longer feel bad when we lie.
Other recent research has found that the brains of mythomaniacs are different from those of truth-tellers. They have a 26% more white matter in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in the transmission of information.
The greater the volume of white matter, the greater the cognitive capacity to process lies.That is to say, people who lie compulsively have a greater capacity than others to lie and manipulate. That is why when they are telling a lie, their stories are coherent and credible. They are capable of creating stories with a great amount of detail.
What are the symptoms of a mythomaniac?
There are different ways to identify a pathological liar or a mythomaniac:
- The anxiety levels of the person who lies are high when they know they are going to spread a lie.
- They have frequent thoughts in which they are preparing their next lies. in a given conversation or situation.
- They can't resist the urge to lie and the pleasure that this brings them. Knowing that every lie involves a risk produces adrenaline in them. This acts on the brain as a reward and strengthens them.
- Once they have lied they feel satisfactionThey have managed to lie to you without you even realizing it. In other words, they see lying as a trophy.
- They are people with low self-esteemThey lie to invent a reality that is completely different from the life they actually lead. In this way, they make people believe and believe themselves to be a person they are not.
- They talk about experiences and achievements in which they appear as heroes or powerful people.. In this way, they attract the attention of others.
- They also tend to make themselves the victim of the events.. People who have never had anything, who nobody loves, who have gone through horrible situations in their lives. So that they can feel more welcomed.
Treatments for mythomania
For a person to stop lying pathologically She needs to be re-educated. It is necessary that a professional psychologist help you change your perception of reality. Sometimes, you need the help of psychotropic drugs. This will depend on whether the mythomania is part of a psychological disorder.
The first step for a mythomaniac person to receive treatment is that he or she recognize that you have a problem of mythomania. You feel like you want to recover your well-being. Once you have made a decision, two types of therapies can be carried out:
- Cognitive therapy. It helps the patient to detect where his habit of lying comes from. Once he knows it, he will begin to work with him so that he sees everything he is capable of, to make him see his achievements and everything he has achieved in life. In this way we will reinforce his positive thoughtsWe will show you that you can achieve more goals throughout your life without having to invent them.
- Communication therapyAs its name indicates, it is based on a Communication with the mythomaniac. A conversation to listen to him, in which he explains his desires and needs. He will learn and accept the rejections of others. In this way, we will improve his self-esteem and he will work on his insecurities.
The treatment of mythomania is based on strengthen self-esteemimprove the person's social skills and tools and make him feel good about his reality. With who he really is. This way, he will not have the need to constantly lie to invent a world that does not exist.
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