Research Paper On Why We Lie

Stephanie Ericsson, through personal anecdotes in her essay “The Ways We Lie,” reveals that no matter how big or how small, a lie is a lie. Throughout the essay, she defines the different ways people lie and explains to the reader the significance of the lies they tell. At the same time, she gives examples in which she lies because she believes that “we lie. We all do.” This keeps the readers from thinking she is criticizing everyone, but herself. As she sees it, we need to take in consideration the consequences of the lies we tell before telling the bank “my deposit is in the mail” when it isn’t. Such use of personal anecdotes support the theme and strengthen the essay because they establish pathos which move the audience to realize the impact

Lies have been around for as long as people have been. We all lie, whether it is to protect someone we love of to cover up something we don’t want others to know about, it is still lying, and we all do it everyday. Lying has become the new normal for our modern society, so much so, that some of us have lost our morals completely. It is just so much easier and quicker to just lie to someone than to tell the truth, and now you can never tell who is lying to you or who is telling the truth. People use to have morals about lying and many people would feel bad about it and teach their children to never lie, but now in today’s society they just pop out of our mouths like they're nothing. We will never stop lying because it’s easier to live a lie

Angelo Segura English 12 Honors Dr. Jen 5 May 2018 The moment we proclaim we don’t or have never lied is the moment we lie. It doesn’t matter how well we say it, there are points in our lives when we are faced with certain situations where the only viable option to get out of it is to lie. Lies may be categorized, but whether it’s a good lie or a bad lie, it’s still a lie. Throughout her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson explores and exploits different kinds of lies we may use in our daily lives.

After reading both stories, I found that I enjoyed Stephanie Ericsson’s, “The Ways We Lie” the most. This story was very interesting and made me think of many different things. I did not realize that there were so many different ways to lie. I was guilty of doing a few of them. After reading the section about the white lie, I realized that I do this sometimes without even noticing it. Ericsson gives the example of when your friend may look terrible one day, but you tell them that they look nice just so they would feel better. Most people, along with myself, do not see this as a bad thing because you are doing something good for someone else, but either way you are still lying. As I continued reading, I was also shocked about a few parts, especially

We are told from a very young that we should tell the truth, and that lying is wrong; an immoral action which we should not engage in. Yet lying is a large part of daily life, whether it be our lying to others or others lying to us, around us, or lying in ways that affect our lives. Oftentimes, the lies we tell are for social gain; for the purposes of esteem, affection, or respect. We lie as a way to manage others impressions of us. Studies have found that women are generally more intimate in their interactions, which would suggest that they lie less. However, might women lie more to benefit others, as opposed to self-centered lies? A study by DePaul et al. (1996) set out to answers questions about the frequency of lying, types of lies told,

The mere concept of a compulsive or pathological liar is often repulsive to most of us, but the truth is, many of us aren’t that far from crossing that bridge. In her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson analyzes not only the many occasions in which we lie, but also the meaning and consequences of those lies. Although Ericsson’s definitions are well articulated, the evidence she employs to support many of her statements lack depth.

Stephanie Ericsson’s “The Ways We Lie”, analyzes the prominent role of lying in everyone’s lives. In lies, both the liar and the person being lied to will suffer by having a false sense of security, reality, and honesty. Stephanie Ericsson uses interrogation, alliteration, and repetition in order to convey her idea about the art of lies.

Honesty and deception both play valuable roles in all parts of personal lives and society. Richard Gunderman stated, “To tell the truth is to live authentically and responsibly, to really live.” Living honestly is a way to have less stress to your life, proven by Richard Gunderman in “Is lying bad for us?” However, dishonesty seems to at an all time high with the growth of communication as stated in “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. In addition, lying can provide incredible short-term benefits discussed by Stephanie Ericsson in “The Ways We Lie.” Gunderman’s claim on authenticity is valid because most cultures see honesty and trust as two of the more lauded values. Telling the truth relieves stress and adds trust. Yet, there is a seemingly

The author of “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson published this article to breakdown and categorize the many different types of lies we tell on a daily basis. Now, can a person tell lies on a daily basis and still consider themselves an honest person? A person who lies on a daily basis cannot be considered a honest person. One cannot be considered honest because lies are meant to deceive and give a false impression. Also one who lies on a daily basis should not be considered honest because a lie can affect reality either lightly or in a drastic way.

In her essay “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson (2007) states different ways people lie in their lives and explains the reasons why people lie. Ericsson starts her essay, by explaining how she lied four times in just one day, and that she doesn’t feel guilty about doing it. Although at the same time she explains that everyone lies one way or another but there is no such a thing as a good lie. The author continues her contends by listing different types of lies people use in different situations such as: the white lie, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissal, and finally delusion then she explains each in detail by providing examples.

How often do we lie and never consider the outcomes? In her essay, “The Ways We Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson explores the different types of lies and the consequences of their usage. She effectively provides anecdotal and factual evidence to support her definitions of lies.

Alcoholism is one of the most delusional lies one can tell themselves. In the essay, “The Ways We Lie,” by Stephanie Ericsson, she states that, “alcoholics … believe that the problems in their lives are legitimate reasons for drinking rather than results of the drinking” (477). Alcoholics believe that they can stop at any time and that the benefits outweigh the side effects. They lie to themselves and lose trust from peers. I understand this first hand from my alcoholic granfather. Alcoholism is a direct result of being delusional. Delusion is the most catastrophic way to lie because it can cause physical danger, it creates isolation due to the lack of trust and it hides underlying issues of the delouser.

Stephanie Ericsson is a novelist. She does a great job explaining why people lie and the different types of lies in her essay “The Ways We Lie.” Ericsson’s essay was first published as the cover story for the Utne Reader magazine in 1993. Ericsson tries to send an important message through her essay: “Lying has influence on nearly everyone we have known.” As she describes her experiences with her partner, child, friend, and bank, the situation becomes very familiar to the readers which have gone through similar situations every day” (31,32,33).

I think that you don't always have to be telling the truth.I think that sometimes it is ok to lie but it's not good if you do it all the time.There are some point in your life that you will probably lie but it's not because you want to it's because you're trying to help someone or it's better if you lie so your friend doesn't get hurt or something like that.It could be that if your friend tells you something and he doesnt want anyone to know and if someone finds out he could get hurt.

Lies can be one kind of believe and have fun. For example, if the father and mother tell their kids about Christmas has Santa Claus, who gives Christmas presents to their kids. Some kids usually believe in Santa Claus. In the future, the kids will know it is not true, but they will think it was a good memory in their childhood! I think it is a good way to use lie. Lying can be fun, but doesn’t use it in a bad way on other person because it will lets the person get hurt like my classmate.