pathology of lying-第7章

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　with　the　experience　of　previous　writers。　　Study　of　her　cases　showed　that　there　was　report　of　previous　mendacity；　four　had　been　liars　from　childhood。　　She　found　in　them　the　combination　of　the　general　habit　of　lying　underneath　the　more　accentuated　form　of　pseudologia　phantastica。　　One　case　had　perverted　sex　feeling；　one　was　a　prostitute　at　sixteen　years。

In　her　dissertation　some　points　for　the　differentiation　of　the　pathological　lie　have　been　added　to　those　offered　by　Delbruck；　Risch；　Koppen；　and　Vogt。　　The　pathological　liar　lies；　not　according　to　a　plan；　but　the　impulse　seizes　him　suddenly。　　This　propensity　grows　stronger。　　Under　strict　supervision　it　comes　to　only　an　abortive　attack；　similar　to　what　happens　in　cases　of　dipsomania；　or　of　tendency　to　rove　in　which　the　repressed　outbreak　expresses　itself　in　tormenting　psychical　and　physical　unrest。　　While　the　normal　liar　and　swindler　is　forced　to　be　on　his　guard　lest　he　divulge　something　of　the　actual　state　of　affairs；　and　is　therefore　either　taciturn　or　presents　an　evil　and　watchful　appearance；　or；　if　a　novice　at　his　trade；　is　hesitating　in　his　replies；　the　pathological　liar　has　a　cheerful；　open；　free；　enthusiastic；　charming　appearance；　because　he　believes　in　his　stories　and　wishes　their　reality。　　The　inconsequential　way　in　which　such　persons　go　to　work　is　to　be　explained　by　the　fact　that　consciousness　of　the　real　situation　is　partly　clouded　in　their　minds。　　In　any　special　act　it　is　impossible　to　say　whether　the　consciousness　of　the　lie；　fancy；　or　delusion　preponderates。　　Inability　to　remember　delinquencies　Stemmermann　regards　also　as　added　proof　of　pathological　lying。

She　speaks　of　another　class　of　prattlers；　chattering　people　that　might　be　confounded　with　pathological　liars　from　the　stories　they　tell　in　full　detail。　　But　they　have　no　system　which　they　develop；　often　change　their　subject　and　do　not　paint　in　a　lifelike　way　because　they　do　not　believe　their　own　stories　or　live　in　them　in　a　self…centered　manner。

Of　the　17　cases　Stemmermann　studied　from　the　literature　（Delbruck；　Hinrichsen；　Jorger；　Redlich；　Koelle；　Henneberg　；　Wellenbergh）　10　were　periodic。　　Of　her　own　10　cases；　6　were　periodic。　　Sex　abnormalities　were　present　in　5　out　of　the　17　in　the　literature。　　Among　possible　causes　of　pathological　lying　she　places　any　factor　which　narrows　consciousness　and　increases　suggestion　and　weakness；　such　as　pregnancy；　overexertion；　chronic　alcoholism；　monotonous　living；　long；　close　work；　head　injuries。

Concerning　prognosis　she　finds　little　detailed　in　the　literature。　　The　general　opinion　is　that　such　cases　arising　from　a　background　of　degeneracy　are　incurable。　　One　of　her　cases　was　free　from　attacks　for　two　periods　of　three　years　each；　and　had　been　blameless　in　an　honorable　position　as　editor　for　seven　years　at　the　time　of　the　publication　of　her　monograph。　　She　suggests　that　the　profession　he　has　chosen　may　be　particularly　suited　to　the　talents　of　the　pathological　liar。　　She　also　ventures　to　state　that　where　pathological　lying　is　merely　an　accompaniment　of　puberty　it　may　disappear。

The　fact　that　so　many　of　the　cases　cited　by　Stemmermann　were　clearly　abnormal　and　found　places　in　insane　asylums　makes　much　citation　of　them　by　us；　in　turn；　hardly　worth　while。　　However；　a　short　summary　of　a　couple　of　her　more　normal　cases　will　show　the　problems　and　conditions　as　she　found　them。　　I。　Annie　J。；　19　years　old；　father　a　tailor；　had　been　employed　in　several　places　as　a　servant。　　Aside　from　the　fact　that　it　was　stated　she　always　had　an　inclination　to　lie；　nothing　more　was　known　about　her　early　life。　　She　complained　of　headaches　and　fainting　attacks；　and　mourned　over　the　death　of　her　fiance。　　She　said　he　had　gone　to　Berlin　to　learn　tailoring　and　had　died　there　of　inflammation　of　the　lungs。　　He　left　her　650　marks　which　her　mother　got　hold　of。　　On　investigation　it　was　found　that　this　man　was　still　alive　and　never　had　been　engaged　to　her。　　She　then　accused　her　mother　of　taking　50　marks　from　her　and　said　that　a　man；　purporting　to　be　her　real　father；　came　from　another　town　and　told　her　she　had　been　brought　up　by　foster　parents。　　Through　the　quarreling　which　arose　from　these　various　stories　Annie　was　taken　before　the　police　physician　and　pronounced　mentally　unsound。　　Then　she　told　of　another　engagement　with　the　brother　of　her　departed　fiance；　who　had　discovered　her　real　mother。　　The　latter　was　going　to　leave　her　30；000　marks。　　He　had　formed　a　plot　with　the　foster　mother　to　put　Annie　out　of　the　way　and　to　divide　the　money。　　He　followed　her　on　the　street　and　threw　a　drugged　cloth　over　her　head。　　She　fainted　and　was　carried　home。　　She　said　she　brought　action　for　attempt　to　murder。　　（Whether　this　fiance　and　the　rich　mother　were　real　persons　is　not　known。）　　Later　in　the　same　year；　Annie　being　again　at　large；　a　new　father；　der　Graf　von　Woldau；　appeared　and　bought　her　beautiful　clothes　costing　100　marks。　　He　wanted　to　take　her　away；　but　quickly　disappeared　and　was　not　seen　again。　　When　Annie　told　this　story　she　was　employed　by　a　woman　who　attempted　to　get　traces　of　the　count；　but　failed。　　Later　this　employer　missed　a　sum　of　money　equivalent　to　that　spent　for　the　clothes。　　Annie's　responsibility　by　this　time　was　still　more　questioned　and　she　was　sent　to　an　insane　asylum。　　There　she　was　found　normally　oriented；　orderly；　industrious；　but　suffered　from　periodical　headaches。　　When　questioned　in　the　asylum　concerning　her　tales　she　hesitated　and　would　say；　‘‘Now　I　believe　them　and　now　I　don't。''　　It　is　remarkable　in　this　case　that　her　different　employers　believed　all　her　fabrications　and　took　the　girl's　part　against　the　supposed　offenders。　　For　a　year　she　engaged　in　a　sort　of　orgy　of　pathological　lying　and　then　this　phase　of　her　career　stopped。　　After　a　few　months　in　the　asylum　she　returned　home　and　later　married。　　The　last　report　from　her　mother　was　that　she　was　nervous　and　easily　excited；　but　showed　no　further　signs　of　insanity。

II。　This　was　a　boy；　Johann　P。；　who　was　studied　mentally　first　when　he　was　16　years　old。　　A　thoroughly　good　history　was　forthcoming。　　He　was　brought　for　examination　on　account　of　his　extreme　changeableness；　his　failure　in　several　occupations；　his　tendencies　to　swindling　and　his　extreme　lying。　　As　a　young　child　his　mother　had　to　correct　him　much　for　prevarications。　　Soon　after　he　was　9；　when　both　his　parents　were　already　dead；　he　forged　a　school　certificate　and　was　felt　to　be　a　bad　influence　in　the　home　of　his　guardian。　　About　that　time　he　also　stole　money　from　pockets　on　a　number　of　occasions。　　In　school　he　was　regarded　as　an　undesirable　pupil　on　account　of　his　underhanded　behavior；　and　one　teacher　who　had　observed　him　for　long　wrote　that　he　showed　marked　inclination　towards　lying。　　At　the　time　he　was　15；　he　was　somewhat　retarded　in　school　life；　but　was　told　he　had　to　decide　upon　an　occupation。　　After　a　stormy　period　he　announced　he　would　become　a　gardener。　　After　doing　well　for　a　month　or　so　at　his　first　place　he　began　to　tell　compromising　stories　about　the　wife　of　his　employer。　　He　gave　himself　out　to　be　the　son　of　a　general　who　was　going　to　inherit　a　large　sum　of　money。　　On　the　strength　of　this　he　managed　to　get　hold　of　expensive　articles　he　desired。　　A　short　time　afterward　he　wrote　to　his　guardian　he　was　fitted　for　higher　pursuits　than　that　of　gardening。　　Soon　afterward　he　ran　away　to　a　large　town。　　He　now　wrote　that　the　word　freedom　sounded　like　the　sweetest　music　in　his　ears。　　He　acknowledged　that　he　had　started　on　a　career　of　criminality；　but　decided　to　do　better。　　At　this　time　he　attempted　to　make　his　way　by　offering　his　compositions　at　a　newspaper　office　where　they　were　declined　either　because　his　productions　were　immature　or　his　authorship　was　doubted。　　One　editor　loaned　him　some　money；　but　he　got　much　more　by　representing　himself　to　be　a　collaborator　of　this　editor。　　He　soon　failed　to　make　his　way　and　attempted　other　things；　including　entrance　into　the　merchant　marine。　　He　finally　turned　up　again　at　his　guardian's　house；　and　when　his　box　was　opened　it　was　found　to　contain　a　very　curious　lot　of　material　such　as　money　accounts；　business　cards；　letter　heads；　catalogues。　　It　was　at　this　time　that　he　was　placed　for　observation　in　an　asylum　and　it　was　soon　found　that　his　allege