Background
Most people lie but some lie a lot, (DePaulo et al., 1996). a pathological liar is someone who engages in telling lies all the time, even when there’s no good reason to do so. Some people have a tendency or habit of making up non-stop stories and it becomes regular thing, making it challenging for others to trust them. Pathological lying, also referred to as compulsive or pseudologia fantastica lying, describes a persistent pattern of dishonest behavior that extends beyond occasional or situational deception. Most of lies are for self-protection, compulsive or pseudologic lying can become difficult to control and may impair overall wellbeing.
Research suggests, pathological lying involves multiple psychological processes including habitual deception, impression management, impulsivity, poor behavioral control, and difficulties maintaining truthful interpersonal relationships.
In the initial development of the Pathological Lying Assessment (PLA), it was understood that the characteristics and motivations behind lying can be complex and multifaceted. Part 1 is about behavioral profile of common types of lies reported by the participant, Parts 2 and 3 evaluate the severity of habitual deception and its psychological and social impact.
Procedure
Participants have to complete the assessment in three parts. Part 1 is a Lying Profile Inventory contains four groups of deceptive behaviors. Participants have to indicate whether they engage in each category and select the specific types of lying behaviors.
Part 2 contains 10 statements: Habitual Deception (5 items) and Self-Presentation (5 items).
Part 3 contains 15 statements: Impulsive Lying (5 items), Control Difficulties (5 items), and Interpersonal Consequences (5 items).
Parts 2 and 3 responses are used to calculate dimension scores and an overall pathological lying severity profile.
Scoring & Interpretation
Part 1 generates a Lying Profile and Trigger Summary each child item received 1 point but it is calculated separately and does not effect dimensional profile scores.
Part 2 measures two dimensions: Habitual Deception (5 items) | Self-Presentation (5 items)
Part 3 measures three dimensions: Impulsive Lying (5 items) | Control Difficulties (5 items) | Interpersonal Consequences (5 items)
All scored items use a five-point response scale ranging from 0 (Never) to 4 (Very Often).
Five reverse-scored items are included (one within each dimension).
Dimension Score Ranges: Habitual Deception: 0–20, Self-Presentation: 0–20, Impulsive Lying: 0–20, Control Difficulties: 0–20, Interpersonal Consequences: 0–20
Overall Severity Range: 0–100 | Percentage Score = (Raw Score ÷ Maximum Possible Score) × 100
Higher scores indicate greater frequency, persistence, and impact of pathological lying behaviors.
Pathological Lying Assessment (PLA) Questionnaire
Below is the Pathological Lying Assessment (PLA), a digitally adapted 29- items self-assessment questionnaire. Please answer each statement based on you personal experiences. In part 1, if you choose Yes then you must select all the laying behaviors, which may apply to you. There are no right or wrong answers. Your responses to each question should reflect how you usually behave rather than isolated situations.