Psychological Influences on Deceptionist Lies

This paper examines the psychological dimensions of lying within the deceptionist framework, proposing that traditional theories that focus solely on intent to deceive fail to capture the complexity of why people tell lies. I primarily examine Jennifer Lackey's revised deceptionist account of lying, which broadens deception to include both explicit falsities and acts of concealment. Lackey's distinction between deceit and deception appreciates some of the nuances of lying, expanding other, more modest deceptionist theories. However, Lackey's view still overlooks lies that cannot solely be explained by conscious intent. Thus, to address these flaws, I propose a refined deceptionist view that considers both conscious and subconscious influences. Both forces may be responsible for everyday "dishonest" speech acts that are driven by the desire to evade internal conflict or emotional discomfort, not to mislead others. By integrating insights from psychology—especially the roles of self-deception and cognitive dissonance—this paper reimagines lying as a complex speech act that mediates between conscious assertion and subconscious self-preservation. Ultimately, I argue that a deceptionist theory informed by psychology more closely accounts for the blurred boundaries between lying to others and lying to oneself.