pathology of lying-第18章

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n　she　did　so　he　met　her　and　took　her　at　once　to　his　own　home　where　the　womenfolk　looked　after　her　until　she　was　found　a　place　elsewhere。　　The　deliberate　attempt　to　throw　herself　upon　his　protection　was　thus　frustrated　by　his　relatives。　　Many　other　reports　of　the　misrepresentations　of　Inez　have　been　given　us。　　She　has　discovered　that　borrowing　money　on　the　strength　of　invented　statements　is　sometimes　possible；　particularly　for　her　with　her　good　presence　and　convincing　manner。　　The　B。's　complained　that　when　she　left　Tennessee　there　were　in　her　trunk　many　dollars'　worth　of　articles　that　belonged　to　them。


Throughout　our　long　experience　with　Inez　we　have　never　been　able　to　make　up　our　mind　whether　or　not　she　remembered　all　of　her　past。　　Her　lying　always　stood　in　the　way　of　getting　at　anything　like　the　real　facts。　　On　no　occasion　has　she　truthfully　dealt　with　her　career　as　we　know　it。　　She　has　professed　absolute　lack　of　knowledge　of　her　accident；　and　of　the　time　and　place　of　its　occurrence。　　It　is　interesting　that　none　of　her　acquaintances　mention　this。　　Although　Inez　has　told　long　stories　of　her　past　to　many　people；　and　with　some　inclusion　of　truth；　she　never　seems　to　have　mentioned　this　important　event　of　which　we　learned　from　her　family。　　We　cannot；　then；　decide　about　possible　amnesia　for　this　occurrence。

On　occasion　Inez　has　expressed　the　same　desire　for　religious　experience　as　for　education；　and　has　written　to　friends　that　she　had　become　imbued　with　the　Spirit。　　Her　story　of　her　religious　upbringing　is　altogether　unreliable　and　contradictory；　but　while　in　one　hospital　she　professed　belief；　took　communion；　and　was　baptized　in　a　certain　faith。　　Her　behavior　was　not；　however；　in　the　least　modified　by　this。

One　serious　minded　woman　took　Inez　at　her　word　when　she　said　she　wanted　to　study　algebra　and　offered　her　a　good　opportunity　which　was　never　accepted。　　This　demonstrated　clearly　that　the　desire　was　a　matter　of　words　only。　　Inez'　constant　assertion　of　independence　has　been　one　of　her　main　sources　of　temporary　success。　　Kindly　people　have　speedily　taken　up　with　her。　　Sympathy　is　undoubtedly；　in　spite　of　her　statements　to　the　contrary；　one　of　the　strongest　needs　of　her　nature。　　In　one　of　her　letters　we　note　her　expression　of　satisfaction　in　a　certain　situation　where　she　found　herself　much　‘‘mothered''　by　kind　nurses。　　All　her　chances；　however；　have　been　spoiled　by　her　indulgence　in　lies。

Inez　has　remained　adamant　to　every　plea　and　suggestion　made　by　many　well…wishing　friends　that　she　reform　and　begin　again。　　After　her　parents　and　other　relatives　were　found　and　communicated　with；　her　career　partly　known；　and　her　mother's　need　of　sympathy　shown　to　her；　she　still　refused　to　change　her　story　in　many　particularseven　when　she　knew　that　we　had　discovered　about　her　writing　home　within　recent　months。　　She　steadily　refused　to　acknowledge　her　true　age。　　When　the　evidence　was　complete；　showing　that　she　could　not　be　held　as　a　runaway　girl；　but　must　be　treated　under　the　law　as　a　woman；　she　went　forth　to　begin；　as　we　heard　from　many　other　sources；　her　old　misrepresentations　of　herself；　which　speedily　got　her　into　further　trouble。

We　were　not　astonished；　even　after　we　had　accumulated　almost　the　entire　knowledge　of　the　career　which　we　have　outlined　above；　and　Inez　knew　that　we　had　done　so；　to　be　visited　by　two　fine　philanthropic　women　who　wanted　to　consult　with　us　about　an　unfortunate　girl　who　had　won　their　sympathy；　and　who　had　been　placed　by　them　in　a　leading　hospital　after　having　shown　some　signs　of　acute　bronchitis。　　In　fact；　she　was　in　such　a　bad　condition　that　she　had　to　be　transferred　in　an　ambulance。　　But　her　illness　had　rapidly　cleared　up　and　now　after　ten　days　of　observation　an　eminent　diagnostician　had　thoroughly　scolded　her　for　simulation；　and　the　girl　was　once　more　on　their　hands。　　Indirectly　they　learned　that　we　knew　of　the　case　of　this　‘‘girl　of　16。''　　They　realized　that　they　had　been　taken　in；　but　it　had　been　done　so　cleverly；　and；　as　they　expressed　it；　Inez　showed　herself　such　a　splendid　actress；　that　they　wondered　if　she　had　not　extraordinary　histrionic　abilities　which　could　be　utilized。　　（It　remains　to　be　seen　whether　anything　constructive　can　be　done　by　following　this　lead。　　We　feel　that　previous　psychiatrists　who　gave　earlier　an　unfavorable　prognosis　in　this　case　were　perhaps　quite　right。　　But　perhaps　we　should　not　let　our　opinions　in　this　be　swayed　by　the　fact　that　my　associate；　Dr。　Bronner；　who　went　to　this　last　hospital　was　met　by　an　absolute　denial　on　the　part　of　Inez　of　the　essentials　of　the　above　career；　by　her　insistence　that　she　was　not　the　same　person　as　the　daughter　of　the　Smiths；　and　that　she　was　only　17all　this　in　spite　of　her　knowledge　of　our　correspondence　with　her　family　and　others；　and　her　own　previous　acknowledgments　of　lying。）


Summary：　　In　summarizing　the　characteristics　of　this　woman　we　may　first　insist　that　she　has　ambition；　push；　and　energy　in　high　degree。　　Her　personality　as　expressed　in　general　bearing；　features；　and　facial　action　is　remarkably　strong　and　convincing。　　Her　ambition　was　shown　in　her　work　on　our　tests　as　well　as　in　her　social　behavior。　　（We　have　wondered　if　it　was　not　her　desire　to　shine　which　prevented　the　typical　performance　of　the　pathological　liar　on　the　‘‘Aussage''　test。）　　Her　self…confidence　as　expressed　on　numerous　occasions　is　no　less　striking。　　‘‘I　tell　you；　doctor；　that　I　have　told　lies；　but　you　will　see　that　I　will　come　out　on　top。''

Inez　has　been　free　from　the　overt　problems　of　sex　life。　　We　have　repeatedly　been　informed　that　she　has　been　a　girl　of　good　character　in　this　respect。　　‘‘I　ran　away　from　home　for　a　good　cause。　　I'm　not　one　of　those　girls　who　is　crazy　about　the　boys。''　　Usually　Inez　shows　a　very　even　temper。　　It　is　only　when　her　own　personality　is　trod　upon　that　she　grows　angry；　and　obstinacy　is　then　her　leading　reaction。　　Some　pathological　liars　may　be　weak　in　character；　but　not　Inez。　　She　is　the　firmest　of　persons。　　On　occasions　her　attitude　is　entirely　that　of　the　grand　lady。　　Her　type　of　lying　is　clearly　pathological。　　It　would　often　be　very　hard　to　discern　a　purpose　in　it；　and　over　and　over　again　she　has　defeated　her　own　ends　by　further　indulgence　in　prevarications。　　To　her　the　utterance　of　lies　comes　just　as　quickly　and　naturally　as　speaking　the　truth　comes　to　other　people。　　Even　in　interviews　with　us　when　she　was　voluntarily　acknowledging　her　shortcomings　in　this　direction　she　went　on　in　the　same　breath　to　further　falsifications。

The　medical　aspects　of　the　case　come　under　the　same　category　as　the　lying。　　The　dysuria；　the　spitting　of　blood；　the　sugar　in　the　urine；　the　hairpins　found　twice　in　the　abdomen；　the　simulated　pains；　neurasthenia；　and　bronchial　attacks；　together　with　her　stories　of　accidents　and　fainting　spells　illustrate　her　general　tendency。　　This　behavior；　like　her　lying；　serves　to　feed　her　egocentrism；　her　craving　for　sympathy　and　for　being　the　center　of　action。　　As　with　the　lying；　repetition　of　this　type　of　conduct　probably　is　largely　a　matter　of　habit。

The　bearing　of　this　case　on　the　problems　of　testimony　is　interesting。　　As　shown　in　our　account　of　tests　done；　when　objective　concrete　material　was　considered　by　this　woman　she　reported　it　well。　　It　is　only　when　her　egocentrism　is　brought　into　play　that　she　becomes　so　definitely　unreliable。　　This　is　a　line　of　demarcation　that　students　of　this　subject　would　do　well　to　recognize。

Causative　Factors：　　Our　study　of　causation　in　this　case；　as　we　intimated　at　first；　is　necessarily　incomplete。　　But　some　things；　probably　explanatory；　stand　out　very　clearly。　　Heredity　is　moderately　defective。　　Inez　was　the　outcome　of　an　unfortunate　pregnancy　and　was　a　poorly　developed　infant。　　She　suffered　early　from　a　number　of　illnesses；　which；　however；　left　no　perceptible　physical　defects。　　Her　unusual　relationship　to　the　other　children；　based　on　the　difference　in　age；　was　perhaps　a　starting　point　for　the　development　of　her　inventional　theories　of　her　own　origin。　　She　has　given　us　many　hints　of　this　in　speaking　of　her　earliest　remembrances　of　hearing　the　Smiths　whispering　something　about　adoption；　and　of　her　feeling　that　the　other　children　were　too　old　for　her　to　belong　to　their　family。

Then　we　insi