Chapter Six – The Truth About Lies – How Lies and Misinformation Undermine Trust
Misinformation has become prolific. In this chapter we focus on how some influential people use language to propagate misinformation and lies for their own benefit. Furthermore, how it is possible that so many people actually believe them? When lying is used to manipulate and deceive to the detriment of others – even entire societies – lies and misinformation take on a Machiavellian purpose and outcome. There are not only purposeful liars and those who generate misinformation who operate in isolation, but also settings in which personal and organization-wide lying is fostered.
This chapter has to do with these settings. We ask a disturbing question: why do some people (in fact many people) generally reject the best expert information available and science-based guidance from experts and leaders? We are concerned with people who believe (sometimes vociferously) outlandish and often bazaar conspiracy theories to their own detriment and that of others around them.
In this chapter we consider the ways in which misinformation holds the potential to put people in danger and (in numerous cases) causes the loss of life. There are many reasons why some people disbelieve experts and leaders in various fields. They find many reasons to believe outlandish explanations from people who are not offering valid expertise but are instead seeking power and influence. Why are faux “experts” often successful who harbor Machiavellian tendencies or are guided by nefarious intent?
Chapter Seven – Pants on Fire – The Truth About Liars and Their Lies
Children know all about purposeful lying and “pants on fire.” We wish to assign a word to this act of purposeful lying. We call it Cheating and propose that Cheating is integral to the crises of expertise and belief. This challenge of Cheating leads us to question the source of information and perspectives that we are asked to accept. People lie and get away with it. We ask in frustration: who are the cheaters and why do they lie? It is one thing to bend the truth a bit. It is another thing to purposefully lie. What then is the purpose? And when do we cheat? Is cheating and lying ever necessary or positive? Are there forgivable (soft) cheats and unforgiveable (hard) cheats?
In this chapter, we have devoted some attention to describing the dynamics of cheating and consider ways in which one might work with a cheater as a coach (or therapist or counsellor). We explore several different levels of cheating and lying (hard cheats and the hard lies, alongside soft cheats and soft lies). We also identify different motives for cheating, environments for cheating and the impact of cheating on individuals and organizations.
There is also the matter of working with and assisting those people who are cheaters. We wonder if there is a viable (and ethical) outcome of a potential or ongoing supportive relationship when cheating is discovered or revealed. Is there a role to be played by a skilled and experienced professional coach or consultant in this quite challenging setting?
Chapter Eight – People Most Susceptible to Manipulation – The Authoritarian Personality
Why is it that some people believe “crazy stuff” (also known as “bullshit” as described by some researchers)? This chapter concerns the psychological drivers that underpin why certain personality characteristics make some people more likely to blindly follow dominant leaders, hang onto every word they utter (sometimes to their own detriment) and reject irrefutable facts.
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