pathology of lying-第19章

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　her　feeling　that　the　other　children　were　too　old　for　her　to　belong　to　their　family。

Then　we　insist　on　the　positive　bearing　which　this　woman's　native　traits　have　had　in　the　production　of　her　career。　　Her　facility　with　language　marks　her　as　possessing　one　of　the　chief　characteristics　of　the　pathological　liar。　　Added　to　this　she　showed　the　other　personal　traits　which　we　have　described　in　detail；　leading　to　her　success　in　misrepresenting　herself。　　Her　strongly　developed　physiognomy　has　caused　many　people　to　believe　her　older　than　she　stated；　but　still　one　has　seen　such　lineaments　belonging　to　girls　of　17。

The　bearing　which　the　accident　at　18　had　upon　the　case　it　is　impossible　for　us　to　estimate。　　Her　family　are　very　clear　on　this　point；　they　maintain　that　all　her　bad　conduct　has　developed　since　then。　　Through　unwillingness；　or　barely　possibly　real　amnesia　for　the　injury；　Inez　has　not　helped　us　to　know　the　facts。　　Dr。　Augusta　Bronner；　who　has　studied　this　case　with　me；　cleverly　suggests　that　just　as　anyone　becomes　confused　in　distinguishing　really　remembered　experiences　from　what　has　been　told　by　others　was　one's　experience；　so　Inez　gets　confused　between　what　has　really　happened　and　what　she　herself　has　told　as　having　happened。　　This　finally　involves　a　pathological　liar　in　a　network　which　is　difficult　to　untangle。　　Part　of　the　causation　of　the　present　lying；　then；　is　the　extensive　lying　which　has　been　done　previously。

Psychological　analysis　in　such　a　case　is　most　difficult　because　of　the　unreliability　of　the　individual's　own　statements　about　her　life；　inner　and　outer。　　Psychoanalysts　will　be　delighted；　in　the　light　of　what　we　long　afterward　found　out；　at　the　pregnant　opening　sentence　of　an　interview；　recorded　above；　when　Inez　blurted　out　that　she　was　once　in　a　State　hospital。　　However；　from　what　we　ascertained；　we　may　see　clearly　that　here　is　an　individual　with　a　past　that　she　desires　to　cover　up。　　Much　more　delinquency　may　be　involved　of　which　we　know　nothing。　　As　the　result　of　circumstances　and　traits　she　finds　herself；　despite　her　very　good　ability；　inadequately　meeting　the　world。　　Her　forceful　personality　carries　her　into　situations　which　she　is　incompetent　to　live　up　to。　　The　immediate　way　out　is　by　creating　a　new　complication；　and　this　may　be　through　lies　or　the　simulation　of　illness；　at　which　she　has　become　an　adept。　　Altogether；　Inez　must　be　thought　of　as　one　who　is　trying　to　satisfy　certain　wishes　and　ambitions　which　are　too　much　for　her　resources。　　Towards　the　goal　to　which　her　nature　urges　her　she　follows　the　path　of　least　resistance。　　Being　the　personality　that　she　is；　the　social　world　offers　her　stimulation　which　does　not　come　to　others。

To　discuss　the　problem　of　her　responsibility　would　be　to　introduce　metaphysicsit　is　sure　that　in　the　ordinary　sense　she　is　not　insane。　　The　cause　of　her　career　is　not　a　psychosis；　although　we　readily　grant　that　out　of　the　materials　of　her　mental　experience　she　may　ultimately　build　up　definite　delusions。



CASE　4

Summary：　　A　girl　of　16　had　been　engaged　in　an　extraordinary　amount　of　clever　shoplifting　under　the　influence　of　her　‘‘mother。''　　In　the　courts　where　the　cases　against　her　were　heard　there　was　much　sympathy　with　the　girl；　but　it　was　difficult　to　carry　out　any　measures　for　her　benefit　because　of　the　excessive　prevarications　which　had　characterized　her　for　a　long　period。　　Under　oath　she　falsely　accused　her　‘‘father''　of　sex　immorality　with　her。　　She　was　removed　from　her　home；　and　with　knowledge　of　the　mental　conflicts　which　beset　her；　splendid　efforts　to　‘‘cure''　this　girl　met　with　success。　　It　is　another　case　where　supposed　inherited　traits　turn　out　to　be　the　result　of　environmental　influences。


Through　frequent　communication　with　the　highly　intelligent　woman　with　whom　Edna　F。　was　placed　in　a　small　western　city　after　she　was　taken　from　her　previous　miserable　environment；　we　have　been　able　to　keep　close　check　on　the　progress　of　the　case　for　several　years。　　It　was　also　very　fortunate　for　our　understanding　that　a　nurse　who　knew　the　girl's　real　mother　in　New　York；　where　Edna　was　born；　appeared　on　the　scene　and　gave　us　data　upon　which　we　could　base　some　opinions　of　the　outcome。　　The　case　in　its　entirety　had　proved　very　baffling　to　detectives　because　of　the　mass　of　contradictory　lies　told　by　both　the　girl　and　her　‘‘mother。''

Our　attention　was　first　called　to　this　girl　when　a　number　of　court　people　were　trying　to　solve　the　mystery。　　She　had　been　arrested　for　shoplifting　and　her　curious　attitude　and　statements　had　made　some　believe　she　was　not　quite　right　mentally。　　Once　before　she　had　been　detected　stealing　things　in　a　shop。　　One　of　her　remarkable　statements　this　last　time　was　that　her　parents　were　implicated　in　the　thieving　and　she　named　certain　stolen　articles　which　might　be　found　at　their　home。　　She　went　with　the　detectives　and　accused　her　‘‘mother''　of　wearing　a　dress　which　she；　Edna；　had　stolen。　　The　woman　was　forced　to　give　up　the　dress　and　other　articles；　but　it　was　found　later　that　these　goods　had　been　actually　bought　and　paid　for　by　the　parents。　　Later　it　was　found　that　the　woman　was　a　party　to　the　girl's　stealing　and　this　made　the　girl's　story　seem　all　the　more　strange；　for　if　she　were　going　to　involve　the　people　at　all　why　did　she　not　pick　out　the　actually　stolen　articles？　　However；　long　study　of　the　case　brought　out　the　fact　that　this　type　of　statement　was　a　characteristic　of　Edna's。　　Her　word　on　even　important　points　was　absolutely　unreliable　and　her　own　interests　were　frequently　thwarted　by　her　prevarications。

The　case　in　its　different　aspects　came　up　in　court　again　and　again　until　finally　most　of　the　truth　was　ascertained；　enough　to　justify　radical　measures　being　undertaken。　　During　this　period　the　mother　was　discovered　to　be　an　atrocious　liar；　even　with　her　last　bitter　confession　that　all　she　had　said　about　her　motherhood　had　been　untrue；　she　manufactured　more　quite　unnecessary　falsehoods。　　In　the　meantime　the　family　physician　and　the　family　lawyer　had　both　informed　me　of　the　peculiar　mysteries　of　the　case　and　of　the　perfect　mass　of　lies　into　which　the　statements　of　both　mother　and　daughter　led。　　This　sort　of　thing　had　been　going　on　for　years。　　It　is　of　no　small　interest　to　note　that　the　woman　was　greatly　over…dressed　and　made　up。　　On　numerous　occasions　she　appealed　to　us　to　study　the　girl　and　find　out　why　she　lied　so　much　and　why　she　had　such　an　inclination　to　steal；　in　the　meantime　attempting　to　fill　us　up　with　many　inventions　about　the　girl's　antecedents。

Physical　examination　showed　a　perfectly　normally　developed　girl。　　No　sensory　defects。　　Pleasant　features。　　Well　shaped　head。　　Weight　101　lbs；　height　5　ft。　1　in。　　We　found　no　hysterical　stigmata。　　Menstruation　had　first　occurred　at　14。　　No　trouble　or　irregularity　was　reported。　　We　learn　the　girl　has　never　had　any　serious　illness。　　She　herself　told　of　fainting　spells　after　being　whipped　and　so　on；　but　these　were　undoubtedly　falsifications。　　The　family　physician　informed　us　he　had　operated　on　the　girl　for　appendicitis　about　three　months　previous　to　the　time　we　first　saw　her。　　He　had　found　some　evidences　of　an　old　appendiceal　inflammation；　but　it　is　quite　likely　from　the　various　accounts　which　we　heard　that　her　symptoms　recounted　to　him　were　largely　fabrication　and　that　the　signs　which　he　found；　at　least　in　their　excessive　phases；　were　partly　deceptions。　　The　most　important　point　for　the　court　proceedings　was　his　findings　that　the　girl　had　never　been　sexually　tampered　with　and　had　no　local　disease。　　At　the　time　when　we　knew　Edna　she　was　being　treated　for　a　local　infection　which　must　have　been　recent　and　superficial；　for　it　rapidly　subsided。

We　had　ample　opportunity　to　test　Edna's　ability　and　found　it　quite　normal。　　She　had　been　out　of　school　much　and　had　been　careless　in　general　about　her　education；　but　she　had　finally　finished　the　grammar　school。　　A　long　list　of　tests　was　done　almost　uniformly　well。　　Where　a　prolonged　task　which　required　concentration　was　asked；　Edna　was　inclined　to　work　carelessly；　but　in　general　her　capacities　proved　to　be　decidedly　good。　　She　was　accustomed　to　read　nothing　but　the　lightest　literature　and　fairy　stories　and　her　interests　were　of　the　superficial　sort。　　Neith