pathology of lying-第51章

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irl　was　going　with　bad　companions。

In　this　case　we　advised　gynecological　and　other　medical　treatment　and　segregation　in　a　reformatory　or　industrial　school。　　The　young　woman　could　be　regarded　as　nothing　else　than　a　dangerous　person　in　any　community。　　Even　when　being　brought　to　us　she　had　endeavored　to　flirt　with　a　conductor　on　the　train。　　A　fair　diagnosis　could　only　be　that　she　was；　for　the　present　at　least；　morally　irresponsible。

This　case　has　been　only　recently　studied　and　no　further　report　can　be　given。　　It　is　cited　in　illustration　of　the　fact　that　was　not　clearly　brought　out　by　our　other　cases；　namely；　that　a　period　of　stress　may　be　very　definitely　the　exciting　factor　in　developing　pathological　lying　and　accusation。　　This　stands　out　particularly　clearly　in　this　case　because　the　young　woman　had；　prior　to　the　wedding　feast；　been　a　good　worker　and　had　given　no　trouble　in　the　community。




CHAPTER　V

CASES　OF　PATHOLOGICAL　LYING　IN　BORDER…LINE　MENTAL　TYPES


We　could　load　our　pages　with　histories　of　cases　where　the　statement　of　delusions；　unrecognized　as　such；　has　created　much　trouble　in　courts　and　out；　but　this　type　of　case　is　too　well　known　to　need　any　illustration。　　Text　books　of　psychiatry　deal　with　the　falsifications　of　paranoia　and　other　insanities。　　That　the　really　insane　also　sometimes　lie　pathologically；　that　is；　tell　for　no　normal　purpose　what　they　adequately　know　to　be　untrue；　is　a　fact　not　so　well　understood。　　But　even　that　we　need　not　be　especially　concerned　with　in　our　case　histories。　　It　has　been　well　brought　out　in　the　previous　literature　on　pathological　lying；　as　witness　in　our　Chapter　II。　　In　the　present　chapter　we　do　not　include　the　out…and…out　insane；　nor　the　definitively　feeble…minded；　nor　the　recognizably　epileptic。

Much　more　difficult　of　understanding　and　much　less　easily　recognized　because　of　the　mildness　of　many　of　the　symptoms；　or　their　variations　from　time　to　time；　are　the　types　which　we　enumerate。　　Several　of　these　offer　no　complete　picture　of　insanityeven　Case　25；　although　clearly　aberrational；　extremely　defective　in　self…control；　and　markedly　criminalistic；　did　not　show　to　some　psychiatrists　who　observed　him　a　sufficiently　clear　correspondence　to　any　form　of　insanity　as　laid　down　in　the　old…school　text…books　to　be　practically　regarded　as　insane　and　in　need　of　long　segregation。　　In　considering　this　whole　matter　we　must　never　forget　that　there　is　no　wall　of　demarcation　between　those　whose　conduct　clearly　betokens　insanity　and　those　who　are　not　insane。　　There　are　plenty　of　instances　where　the　easily　passable　border　between　the　two　is　permanently　occupied　or　is　at　times　approached。

We　keep　our　border…line　cases　separate　in　order　to　emphasize　that　pathological　lying　by　an　insane　person　does　not　make　a　pathological　liar　in　the　true　sense。　　We　should　hesitate；　however；　to　give　in　legal　form　a　verdict　of　insanity　in　several　of　these　border…line　cases　we　citethey　are　very　difficult　to　classify；　and　the　question　of　responsibility　called　for　sometimes　in　court　work　is　unanswerable。　　Keeping　even　these　mild　cases　away　from　our　others　serves；　however；　to　lessen　confusion；　we　need　in　this　subject　to　conserve　all　the　clearness　possible　by　holding　to　fundamental　classifications　and　showing　up　vagueness　of　definition　where　it　does　exist。

Perhaps　we　are　over…particular　in　keeping　such　a　case　as　No。　22　in　this　chapter。　　The　commonsense　observer　would　hardly　regard　this　girl　as　at　all　lacking；　even　in　self…control。　　On　the　other　hand；　for　the　purpose　of　illustrating　the　subject　of　pathological　accusation　we　have　kept　Case　17　in　the　previous　chapter　when　it　clearly　shows　great　resemblance　to　Case　26　and　is　in　reality　a　border…line　type。　　Then；　too；　the　swindler；　Case　12；　in　some　respects　belongs　in　this　chapter。

We　are　hardly　called　on　in　this　work　to　discuss　the　lying　of　drug　habitues；　although　they　so　frequently　in　their　mental　conditions　represent　border…line　types。　　They　are　often　on　the　verge　of　a　psychosis　as　the　result　of　their　intoxications。　　Their　lying　is　mostly　done　for　a　purpose；　to　be　sure；　and　hence　much　would　not　come　under　the　head　of　pathological　lying；　but　occasionally　veracity　is　so　much　interfered　with　that　there　seems　to　be　a　tendency　to　aimless　lying。　　This　class　of　cases；　however；　is　sufficiently　discussed　in　special　literature　pertaining　to　the　subject。＇24＇


＇24＇　Vide；　‘‘Morphinism　and　Narcomanias　From　Other　Drugs；''　by　T。　D。　Crothers。　　Philadelphia；　Saunders　and　Co。；　1902。　　Also　Chapter　V；　Stimulants　and　Narcotics；　in　‘‘The　Individual　Delinquent；''　by　William　Healy　Boston；　Little；　Brown；　and　Co。；　1915。



CASE　22

Summary：　　A　girl　of　14；　a　most　vigorous　and　vivacious　personality；　had　for　a　couple　of　years　pursued　a　curiously　active　career　of　misrepresentation；　of　obtaining　goods　under　false　pretenses　and　running　away　from　home　even　to　distant　places。　　Her　conversational　ability　was　above　normal；　her　lies　were　evolved　for　the　purpose　of　adapting　herself　to　the　peculiar　circumstances　in　which　she　frequently　found　herself。　　Her　general　conduct　combined　with　her　abnormal　psychomotor　activity　gave　ground　for　the　diagnosis　of　constitutional　excitementhypomania。


Birdie　M。；　14　years　old；　we　saw　after　some　clever　detective　work　had　proved　her　to　be　the　girl　who　in　another　town　had　repeatedly　swindled　shop…keepers。　　It　seems　she　had　been　accustomed　to　take　the　train　for　localities　where　she　had　no　connections　whatever；　and　there　enter　shops　and　make　away　with　whatever　she　could。　　An　astounding　incident　was　when　she　returned　some　goods　she　had　stolen　and　persuaded　the　manager　to　‘‘refund''　her　the　money　on　the　same。　　This　was　regarded　by　the　authorities　as　extremely　clever。　

We　found　Birdie　very　small　for　her　age。　　Weight　76　lbs。；　height　4　ft。　8　in。　　Tonsils　very　large。　　Teeth　excessively　crowded。　　No　sensory　defect。　　Not　yet　menstruated。　　A　very　nervous　type；　quick　physical　and　mental　reactions；　exceedingly　active；　restless　manner。

Our　psychological　impressions　state　that　Birdie　did　all　her　tests　brilliantly　and　quickly；　but　very　often　with　less　accuracy　than　would　have　been　the　case　had　she　taken　the　time　to　think　quietly　rather　than　work　rapidly。　　She　was　very　keen　to　make　the　best　possible　record。　　‘‘I　am　proud　of　being　quick；　nothing　is　hard　for　me；　it　was　not　hard　at　school。''　　It　was　found　by　steadying　her　that　she　gave　a　more　accurate　performance。　　We　diagnosed　her　ability　as　good；　but　her　school　advantages　had　been　poor。　　Otherwise　we　noted　she　was　a　pert；　talkative；　responsive　child；　of　a　distinctly　nervous　and　somewhat　unreliable　type。　　Her　ideas　came　tumbling；　one　on　top　of　another。　　Under　close　supervision　she　was　able　to　control　her　mental　processes　fairly　well。　　For　instance；　on　the　antonym　test；　where　opposites　to　twenty　stimulus　words　are　called　for；　Birdie　gave　them　in　the　remarkably　rapid　average　time　of　。8　of　a　second；　with　only　one　failure　and　one　error。　　This　is　an　exceptional　record。　　From　this　and　her　unexpected　powers　of　self…control　exhibited　on　some　other　tests　we　were　obliged　to　conclude　that　her　aberrational　tendencies　were　not　very　deep…set。　　Her　mental　traits　seemed　to　conform　most　nearly　to　the　type　designated　as　constitutional　excitement；　or　hypomania。　　Further　observation　of　the　case　confirmed　us　in　this　first　view　of　it。

On　the　‘‘Aussage''　or　Testimony　Test　she　gave　13　items；　all　correct；　upon　free　recital。　　On　questioning；　14　more　details　were　added；　but　6　of　these　were　incorrect。　　Of　the　6　suggestions　offered　she　accepted　none。

Birdie　immigrated　from　Austria　with　her　family　when　she　was　10　years　of　age。　　She　came　of　a　healthy　family；　all　of　her　grandparents　and　many　of　her　uncles　and　aunts　are　living。　　We　get　no　history　of　any　insanity；　epilepsy；　or　feeblemindedness　on　either　side。　　She　is　one　of　7　children；　several　of　whom　have　had　nervous　troubles。　　Two　of　the　children　had　convulsions　in　infancy；　but　then　only。　　One　brother　at　10　years　old　is　an　excessive　stammerer　and　extremely　nervous。

Birdie　was　born　after　a　pregnancy　during　which　the　mother　was　much　worried　and　in　poor　health。　　The　father；　too；　was　sickly　at　that　time。　　The　family　conditions　were　defective　on　account　of　poverty　and　illness　during　a　large　share　of