pathology of lying-第32章

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nt。　　The　father　was　accustomed　to　celebrate　once　a　month　or　so　by　getting　intoxicated；　but　otherwise　was　a　well　behaved　man。

On　physical　examination　we　found　the　boy　in　fair　general　condition；　although　very　small　for　his　age。　　Weight　80　lbs。；　height　4　ft。　7　in。　　Well　shaped；　normally　sized　head。　　No　prematurity　or　other　physical　abnormality。　　Somewhat　defective　vision。　　No　complaint　of　headaches。　　All　other　examination　negative。　　Regular　sharp　features。　　Much　vivacity　of　expression。　　A　nervous；　alert；　responsive；　apparently　frank　and　humorous　type。　　Speech　notably　rapid。

Our　acquaintance　with　this　boy　on　the　intellectual　side　proved　to　be　a　great　treat。　　He　was　only　in　the　4th　grade。　　His　retardation　was　the　result　of　having　been　changed　back　and　forth　from　foreign…speaking　to　English　schools　and　having　been　sent　away　to　an　institution　for　truancy。　　In　spite　of　his　backwardness　Robert　had　a　fund　of　remarkably　accurate　scientific　and　other　information　which　a　mature　person　might　envy。　　We　found　our　regular　series　of　tests　were　all　done　unusually　well；　except　those　which　called　for　foresight　and　planfulness。　　It　was　interesting　to　note　that　when　a　problem　in　concrete　material　was　given　that　required　continuous　thoughtful　effort　he　proceeded　by　a　rapid　trial　and　error　method　and　without　the　application　of　the　foresight　that　many　a　slower　individual　would　show。　　He　consequently　did　not　always　make　a　good　record。

It　seems　an　important　fact　that　on　the　‘‘Aussage''　Test　this　exceedingly　bright　lad　gave　a　fairly　good　detailed　narrative　account　of　the　picture　and　proved　himself　not　in　the　least　suggestible；　but　he　added　a　number　of　items　which　were　not　seen。

It　was　in　the　field　of　general　information；　obtained　from　a　really　wide　range　of　reading；　that　this　young　boy　shone。　　We　found　that　he　remembered　an　unusual　amount　of　history　he　had　read；　that　he　had　a　lot　of　knowledge　picked　up　from　the　newspapers；　and　that　he　had　digested　considerable　portions　of　scientific　works。　　He　described　correctly　the　main　principles　involved　in　the　use　of　telescopic　and　other　lenses；　he　knew　well　the　first　principles　of　electricity；　and　he　could　draw　correctly　diagrams　of　dynamos；　locomotives；　switchboards；　etc。　　We　noted　he　had　read　books　on　physiology；　astronomy；　physics；　mechanics；　etc。

It　seems　that　neither　his　school　nor　his　home　offering　him　much　intellectual　satisfaction；　he　had　frequented　the　public　library；　sometimes　being　there　when　he　was　truant　from　school；　and　staying　there　in　the　evening　when　his　mother　supposed　he　was　out　in　a　street　gang。　　In　regard　to　his　selection　of　reading：　he　had　perused　novels　and　books　on　adventure；　but　‘‘I　wanted　to　read　something　that　tells　something　so　that　when　I　got　through　I　would　know　something。''　　He　copied　plans　and　directions；　and　with　a　hatchet；　hammer　and　saw　attempted　at　home　to　make　little　things；　some　of　which　were　said　to　have　been　broken　up　by　the　parents。　　The　boy　had　much　in　mind　the　career　of　great　men　who　had　succeeded　from　small　beginnings；　and　he　spoke　often　of　Benjamin　Franklin；　Morse；　and　Bell；　all　of　whom　had　started　in　the　small　way　he　had　read　of　in　their　biographies。　　Robert　had　not　been　content　with　book　knowledge　alone；　but　had　sought　power…houses　and　other　places　where　he　could　see　machinery　in　actual　operation。

Our　acquaintance　with　Robert　began　and　continued　on　account　of　delinquencies　other　than　lying。　　He　had　run　away　from　home　at　one　time；　he　had　stolen　some　electrical　apparatus　from　a　barn　and　was　found　in　the　middle　of　the　night　with　it　flashing　a　light　on　the　street。　　He　also　had　taken　money　from　his　parents　and　had　threatened　his　mother　with　a　hatchet。　　After　much　encouragement　and　help　he　yet　stole　from　people　who　were　trying　to　give　him　a　chance　to　use　his　special　abilities；　and　he　began　various　minor　swindling　operations　which　culminated　in　his　attempt　to　arrest　a　man　at　night；　showing　a　star　and　a　small　revolver。　　Before　we　lost　sight　of　him　Robert　had　gained　the　general　reputation　of　being　the　most　unreliable　of　individuals。

Given　splendid　chances　to　use　his　special　capacities；　his　other　qualities　made　it　impossible　for　him　to　take　advantage　of　them。　　His　wonderful　ability　was　demonstrated　in　the　school　to　which　he　was　sent；　there　the　teacher　said　that　if　she　had　the　opportunity　she　really　believed　she　could　put　him　through　one　grade　a　month。　　His　mental　grasp　on　all　subjects　was　astonishing　and　he　wrote　most　admirable　essays；　one　of　the　best　being　on　patriotism。　　But　even　under　the　stable　conditions　of　this　school　for　six　or　seven　months　the　boy　did　not　refrain　from　an　extreme　amount　of　falsification　and　was　much　disliked　by　the　other　boys　on　account　of　it。

Robert　had　continued　his　lying　for　years。　　At　the　time　when　we　were　studying　his　case　his　prevaricating　tendencies　were　shown　in　the　manufacture　of　long　and　complicated　stories；　in　the　center　of　which　he　himself　posed　as　the　chief　actor。　　These　phantasies　were　told　to　people；　such　as　ourselves；　who　could　easily　ascertain　their　falsehood；　and　they　were　told　after　there　had　been　a　distinct　understanding　that　anything　which　showed　unreliability　on　his　part　would　militate　against　his　own　strongly　avowed　desires　and　interests。　　After　special　chances　had　been　given　this　boy　with　the　understanding　that　all　that　was　necessary　for　him　to　do　was　to　alter　his　behavior　in　respect　to　lying；　on　more　than　one　occasion　new　fabrications　were　evolved　in　the　same　interview　that　Robert　had　begged　in　fairly　tragic　fashion　to　be　helped　to　cure　himself　of　his　inclination　to　falsify。

A　great　love　of　the　dramatic　was　always　displayed　by　this　boy；　which　may　largely　account　for　the　evolution　of　his　lying　into　long　and　complicated　stories。　　When　truant　one　day　he　boldly　visited　the　school　for　truants；　and　when　under　probation；　after　having　fallen　into　the　hands　of　the　police　two　or　three　times；　he　impersonated　a　policeman。　　The　latter　was　such　a　remarkable　occurrence　and　led　to　such　a　peculiar　situation　that　much　notice　of　it　was　taken　in　the　newspapers。　　The　incongruity　between　apperception　of　his　own　faults　and　his　continued　lying；　considering　his　good　mental　endowment；　seemed　very　strange。　　One　day　he　sobbed　and　clung　to　my　arm　and　begged　me　to　be　a　friend　to　him　and　help　him　from　telling　such　lies。　　‘‘I　don't　know　what　makes　me　do　it。　　I　can't　help　it。''　　Over　and　over　he　asserted　his　desire　to　be　a　good　man　and　a　great　man。　　This　was　at　the　same　time　when　some　of　his　most　complicated　fabrications　were　reiterated。　

No　help　was　to　be　had　from　his　parents　in　getting　at　the　genesis　of　this　boy's　troubles；　we　had　to　rely　on　what　seemed　to　be　the　probable　truth　as　told　by　the　boy　himself。　　It　is　only　fair　to　say　that　in　response　to　many　inquiries　we　did　receive　reliable　facts　from　the　lad。　　My　assistant　also　went　into　the　question　of　beginnings　and　was　told　at　an　entirely　different　time　the　same　story。　　Robert　always　maintained　that　his　lying　began　when　he　was　a　very　little　boy；　when　he　found　out　that　by　telling　his　grandmother　that　his　mother　was　mean　to　him　he　could　get　things　done　for　him　which　he　wanted。　　Later　it　seems　he　used　to　lie　because　he　was　afraid　of　being　punished　or　because　he　did　not　like　to　be　scolded。　　We　found　there　was　no　question　about　the　fact　that　his　parents　never　were　in　sympathy　with　his　library　reading　and　his　attempts　to　learn　and　be　somebody　in　the　world。　　At　first；　then；　there　seemed　to　be　a　definite　purpose　in　his　lying。　　At　one　time　he　pretended　to　be　hurt　when　taken　in　custody　and　thought　because　of　this　he　would　be　allowed　to　go　home。

On　many　occasions　this　boy　made　voluntary　appeal　to　us；　describing　his　lying　as　a　habit　which　it　was　impossible　for　him　to　stop；　and　implored　aid　in　the　breaking　of　it。　　Up　to　the　last　that　we　knew　of　him　he　occasionally　made　the　complaint　to　strangers　of　mistreatment　by　his　family；　which　in　the　sense　in　which　he　put　it　was　not　true　at　all。　　The　dramatic　nature　of　his　later　stories　seemed　to　fulfill　the　need　which　the　boy　felt　of　his　being　something　which　he　was　not；　and　very　likely　belonged　to　the　same　category　of　behavior　he　displayed　when　he　attempted　to　impersonate　a　policeman　in　the　middle　of　the　night；　and　to　pose　as　an　amateur　detective　by　telling　st