https://doi.org/10.31648/cetl.2123
Based on Paul Ekman’s typology of motives of lying, authors wanted to investigate how often
they motivate pupils and students to lie. Two studies were conducted: 1) in primary schools and
a high school, 2) on different universities. In the second study we also measured the level of need
for approval and agency/communion (the Big Two). Both studies gave similar results, revealing that
pupils and students declared higher frequency of lying motivated by avoiding any inconvenience
than by gaining some kind of profit. Detailed analyses showed that the highest frequency of
lying was motivated by two reasons: to protect oneself or someone else from danger and to avoid
uncomfortable, awkward situations. Next in frequencies were motives driven by willingness to
avoid any nuisance (e.g. punishment, embarrassment or to protect one’s privacy). In both studies
lying driven by willingness to gain some kind of profit (e.g. reward, being liked, admired or to
gain power) was declared as rather rare. Analyses showed that the latter result was not free from
influence of need for approval. Both age and sex played a certain role in these declarations. In the
first study, boys significantly more often than girls declared to lie to protect oneself or someone
else from danger, to secure one’s privacy and to gain power. There were no such differences in the
second study (among students). As to age, primary school pupils declared lying to be liked (girls)
and admired (boys) more often than teenagers in high school, while the latter declared lying to
gain power and to protect oneself or someone else from danger more often than primary school
pupils. In turn, students declared, significantly more often than younger subjects, to lie for all
reasons. The Big Two turned out to be of little significance – only lower level of communion was, as
expected, connected to higher frequency of both categories of lies (to gain / to avoid), especially in
certain reasons of lying (e.g. to gain power or admiration). The results are discussed in the context
of further studies on bigger and more varied groups, Polish cultural specificity and possible biasing
influence of need for approval in studies of lying.
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