Lying, Cheating, and Carrying On: Developmental, Clinical, and Sociocultural Aspects of Dishonesty and Deceit (Margaret Mahler) (Margaret S. Mahler)

While modes of deception are observed in the animal world, the capacity for lying requires language and forethought, the great human achievements. This meticulously edited volume offers us an in depth exploration of this often overlooked aspect of our minds. It is an invaluable guide to all clinicians in search of the truth. No lie! (Ira Brenner, M.D., Jefferson Medical College)

From fibs to forgery, from Pinocchio to serial killers, this fascinating volume begins with a disturbing truth―deception is ubiquitous in human beings. The spectrum of deception is examined from multiple perspectives ranging from child development to politics. This insightful book will help mental health professionals confront the often insurmountable challenge inherent in treating lying and deceptive patients. (Axel Hoffer M.D., Harvard Medical School)

Lying, Cheating, and Carrying On adds substantially to these insights, bringing to light a variety of unconscious motives that cause otherwise moral individuals to engage in acts of deception.... The achievement of this book is its attempt to unify these individuals within one general framework, one that is at once sensitive to unconscious motivation, cognitive and developmental capacities, and sociocultural influences. (Division 39 Newsletter)

Salman Akhtar is professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. Henri Parens is professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.