WHY DO PEOPLE LIE IN THE WORKPLACE?
I was reading and listening about the way certain people that call themselves “public servants” either lie about their job or lie to get promotions, all under false pretenses. I decided to look into this because, for me, lying is really immoral, and more if your job is to serve your community.
According to a study made by Jennifer Argo of the University of Alberta, self-esteem and threats to our sense of self are drivers when it comes to lying to co-workers, rather than strangers.
A recent study she co-authored showed that people are even more willing to lie to coworkers than they are to strangers. “We want to both look good when we are in the company of others (especially people we care about), and we want to protect our self-worth,” Argo said. (http://bit.ly/PYqr3g)
The experiment involved reading a scenario to a subject, telling them they had paid more than a coworker for the same new car. When the coworker, in the scenario, mentioned what they had paid, $200 or $2,000 more in different versions of the experiment, the subject was asked to report how they would respond.
Argo found that her subjects were more willing to lie when the price difference was small and when they were talking to a coworker rather than to a stranger.
Let me call it as I see it: People lie because they are sociopaths. Yes, these people are sick. These are probably the hardest people to deal with, and to be able to detect when they are lying. They don’t always know that they are lying, because they have become so good at it that they can look you straight in your eyes and lie without blinking an eye. They often pride themselves on their ability to lie and get away with it. Some can even pass lie detector tests because they have no conscience. These people are discusting and should be called out. There is no room for liars that serve the people.
See you next week!!
