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Coping by deceiving: Developing LYin self-perceived self-deception scales and exploring their links to interpersonal
Lijun Yin1, Jie Zhang1, Jingyi Zhang1
1Department of Psychology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Mental Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Summary
This study introduces two new tools to measure self-deception tendencies and awareness. Findings link higher self-deception to increased dishonesty and specific coping mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Self-deception is a complex psychological phenomenon.
- Measuring self-deception presents significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate new measurement tools for self-perceived self-deception.
- To explore the relationship between self-deception and other-deception (interpersonal deception).
Main Methods:
- Study 1 (N=2018) developed and validated the LYin Self-Perceived Self-Deception Tendency Questionnaire (LYin SDT) and LYin Self-Deception Awareness Scale (LYin SDA).
- Studies 2-4 (N=301, 305, 300) investigated the scales' associations with interpersonal deceptive tendencies and coping mechanisms using various scenarios.
Main Results:
- The LYin SDT and LYin SDA scales demonstrated validity and reliability.
- Higher LYin SDT scores correlated with increased self-serving dishonesty (lies and omissions).
- Self-deception measures were associated with denial coping, avoidance of threatening information, and disengagement coping.
Conclusions:
- The developed scales are effective tools for assessing self-perceived self-deception.
- Self-deception is linked to interpersonal dishonesty and specific coping strategies.
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