How Different Personality Types Lie
Before you start reading, please note: this article discusses psychotypes as separate from individuals. In reality, a person may have 2-3 psychotypes, with one being dominant. Keep this in mind.
How Does the Emotive Type Lie?
Brief Description: Emotives are highly sensitive to the emotions of others and often worry about small things. Relationships are their top priority. They tend to adopt others’ perspectives and care deeply for those around them. They are modest and shy.
How They Lie: Emotives are not good at lying. When they have to lie, they feel guilt and shame, which shows through obvious physical signs like changes in breathing, blinking, and heartbeat. Their lies are often revealed by their denials or attempts to neutralize their statements. Because they feel so ashamed, they can’t resist for long. However, to get a confession from them, you need to appeal to their moral motivation—they’ll only admit the truth if they believe it’s for the sake of loved ones or high ideals. Logical arguments or material incentives don’t work on emotive types.
How Does the Hyperthymic Type Lie?
Brief Description: Hyperthymics are sociable, love change, and are cheerful and optimistic. They are well-rounded and fearless, but need constant motivation.
How They Lie: When a hyperthymic lies, they become even more animated, gesturing with their hands more than usual. They quickly try to “talk your ear off” and distract you. When asked probing questions, signs of lying may appear, but only briefly before they return to their chatter. Be attentive when dealing with them. If they get flustered, they may revert to childlike behaviors—a sign that their excitement is building, and in this state, they might confess everything. If they realize they’ve been caught, they’ll often cooperate, saying things like, “You have to help me.” They might ask how a lie detector works, take selfies with the polygraph sensors, or ask about the process—because they love social interaction and can’t stay in a depressed state for long. To relieve stress, they need to switch gears quickly.
How Does the Schizoid Type Lie?
Brief Description: Schizoids have a weak nervous system. Their psychotype is unique in that it’s more about their thinking style than their nervous system. They are unpredictable, have unconventional thinking, and are introverted. They dislike showing emotions but can be sociable with close friends.
How They Lie: This type is difficult to detect when lying. Their lies are as paradoxical as their behavior—they often answer their own questions instead of yours. Because of their detachment, schizoids can resist questioning for a long time by retreating into themselves. It’s hard for an interviewer to pull them out of this state. The only way to influence them is by creating a sense of anxiety (not fear), such as warning them about possible future consequences if they refuse to cooperate. This may prompt them to engage more appropriately.
How Does the Paranoid Type Lie?
Brief Description: Paranoids have a strong nervous system. They are calm, self-sufficient, and always have their own opinions. They are cautious, active, and plan their actions carefully. Their nervous system allows them to undertake large-scale projects that require strength and energy.
How They Lie: Paranoids don’t just lie—they create a new reality. For them, lying is a political tool. What once seemed like fiction can become reality through their efforts. Signs of lying are hard to spot because they use projection as a defense mechanism—attributing their own thoughts and motives to others, so they don’t feel responsible for them. Paranoids may appear cooperative to protect their own interests, but they won’t truly help uncover the truth. They may drag out conversations or engage in negotiations to learn your position. They are smart, track information closely, and think several steps ahead. Signs of lying are minimal and hard to detect.
How Does the Epileptoid Type Lie?
Brief Description: Epileptoids strive to control everything around them. They are serious, consistent, and usually highly intelligent. In some situations, they can be explosive. However, they struggle with complex mental tasks, creative thinking, emotional expression, and sophisticated speech—all skills needed for elaborate lying. When telling the truth, they clearly associate themselves with the event and often sincerely condemn wrongdoing.
How They Lie: When under suspicion, if they are hiding something, epileptoids follow a predictable pattern: under stress, they can’t invent stories. Their basic behavior is to neutralize—speak little and control their thoughts and movements. Another tactic is denial: “It wasn’t me,” or “I couldn’t have done that.” They may also project their actions onto others: “It wasn’t me, it was someone else.” Due to a lack of self-criticism, they rarely feel guilt or shame. If they see the interviewer as weak, they may act aggressively (sometimes passively) or abruptly leave.
How Does the Hysteroid Type Lie?
Brief Description: Hysteroids want to be first and stand out. Their main desire is to attract attention at any cost, regardless of the means or appearance. One of their main traits is seeking joy and sensory pleasure. Their defense mechanism is denial, which helps them focus only on the positive and ignore reality.
How They Lie: Since denial is their main defense, which can escalate into hysteria, their behavior during questioning may go like this: First, they may claim to feel unwell and unable to continue. Then, they’ll try to change the subject or postpone the conversation, saying they’re not ready. If that fails, they’ll try to distract you with unrelated stories to gain sympathy. If that doesn’t work, they may have a hysterical outburst, possibly even crying—this can happen with both men and women. All of this is to get the interviewer to accept their point of view and avoid harm. This behavior is linked to childish strategies and denial, so don’t fall for these tricks. Hysteroids often believe their own stories. If you don’t catch the lie right away, their memory and subconscious will soon deny the event ever happened, making it harder to get to the truth later.
How Does the Anxious (Asthenic) Type Lie?
Brief Description: People of this type rarely behave antisocially and are considered non-criminal in lie detection studies. They almost never commit crimes.
How They Lie: Research has shown an interesting detail: Cleve Backster, a founder of the American school of lie detection, found that asthenics are a challenge for verifiers. During testing, they react to stimuli as if they are guilty, showing strong responses to accusatory questions—even if innocent. Backster introduced a “guilt complex” question about a fictional crime; if the person reacted just as strongly, they were considered innocent, as this was simply their reaction to any accusatory question. In practice, there’s no need to waste time on such questions: there are clear criteria in speech, facial expressions, and body language to identify asthenic types. Belonging to this psychotype is almost an admission of innocence. If you determine someone is anxious and suspicious, it’s highly unlikely they committed a crime—they’re too afraid to live, let alone lie. Usually, this psychotype is excluded from the circle of suspects.