Examines situations that cause people to lie, even unintentionally.
Research demonstrates that most of us lie, sometimes several times a day or even more. This is surprising to people who think of themselves as honest and forthright. The paper defines a lie before branching out into other issues linked to the concept, such as white lies, factors which affect how and why people lie, and gender differences.
“One particularly difficult situation regarding lying involves a situation where a superior wants a subordinate to lie for him or her. In one informal survey, 82% of women using one website said that their bosses often asked them to lie for them, for instance, telling callers that the boss was unavailable. 91% were asked to lie to their boss’ equals, such as partners, about the boss’ presence or absence in the office (Staff writers, PG).”