Lie Detection: Defensive Lying

• Lie detection techniques presented by Emar James R. Serrano, R.Crim

Lying

• Means to deceive
• Protects oneself from punishment
• Avoids feelings of anxiety, guilt, or embarrassment
• A "DEFENSE MECHANISM"
• Can boost self-esteem
• Too much self-esteem can lead to narcissism
• Protects a relationship or someone else's feelings

Defense Mechanism

• Anna Freud (1936), daughter of Sigmund Freud created the theory
• Psychological strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings
• A psychological strategy unconsciously used to protect oneself from anxiety, stress, or uncomfortable emotions
• Defense mechanisms play a significant role in shaping why and how people lie to themselves or others
• Lying can avoid painful truths, maintain self-esteem, or protect oneself from perceived threats

Types of Defensive Lying

• Denial: Refusing to acknowledge a truth or reality
• Rationalization: Creating logical-sounding explanations to justify dishonest behavior
• Projection: Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or actions to others
• Minimization: Downplaying the significance of a lie or its potential consequences

Normal vs. Abnormal Behavior

• Normal Behavior: A lack of significant deviation from the average, conforming to predominant behavior in a society
• Abnormal Behavior: Literally "away from the normal," implying deviation from a clearly defined norm

Tripod Foundation of Polygraphy

• Psychological Leg Premise: Stimulation of certain nervous system components occurs automatically through involuntary mental and emotional processes when someone consciously and defensively intends to deceive
• Physiological Leg Premise: Physiological responses occur automatically and only through stimulation of specific nervous system components
• Mechanical Leg Premise: A polygraph is capable of making a graphic record containing reliable information regarding physiological responses of the subject

Polygraphy

• Refers to the scientific method of detecting deception
• Accomplished with the help of an instrument capable of recording simultaneous changes in pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration and skin resistance
• These changes indicates disturbances usually emotional of a lying subject when being questioned
• Derived from the Greek words "Poly" (many or more) and "Graphos" (writings)
• Also known as Forensic Psychophysiology

Definitions

• Polygraph Examiner/Polygraphist: Someone capable of detecting deception and verifying truthfulness using a polygraph instrument; someone certified by their agency after completing formal education and training
• Subject or Examinee: Any person who undergoes a detection of deception examination
• Polygraph Examination: A process encompassing all activities between a polygraph examiner and an examinee; a valid examination requires monitoring and recording of respiration, EDA, and cardiovascular activity
• Chart or Polygrams: Composite records of Pneumograph, galvanograph, and Cardiosphymograph tracings recorded from a series of questions

Normal vs. Specific Response

• Normal Response: The tracing on the charts wherein the subject answered in the irrelevant questions
• Specific Response: Responses exhibited by a subject to particular questions, constituting a deviation from the subject's individual norm

Parasympathetic vs. Sympathetic Nervous System

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): The housekeeping or braking system; responsible for conserving energy and ensuring necessary bodily functions, restraining sympathetic arousal to maintain homeostasis
• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): The emergency or action system; causes sudden and dramatic change

Reaction vs. Response

• Reaction: An action or mental attitude evoked by an external influence; any activity aroused in an organism by a stimulus
• Response: Any activity or inhibition of previous activity of an organism resulting from stimulation

Terms to Ponder

• Lying: Uttering or conveying falsehood
• Deception: An act of deceiving or misleading, usually accompanied by lying
• Detection: Discovering the existence or presence of something hidden or obscured
• Fear: An emotional response to specific danger beyond a person's defensive power
• Stimulus: Force or motion reaching the organism from the environment, exciting the receptors
• Hereditary: Transmission of physical and mental traits from parents to offspring through genes
• Homeostasis: Complex interactive regulatory system maintaining internal equilibrium in the body