Deception In Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication’s dark side refers to the times when it is used to harm other people, whether deliberate or not. One approach is through deception by omission or commission. Deception by omission is purposely retaining any information that is expected to be shared. Deception by commission, however, is the intentional falsification of information and can be categorized into white lies, exaggerations, or baldfaced lies. For instance, a thief disguised as a security guard will directly lie about his or her name to gain access to the building. Motivations for any dishonesty can vary from altruism to self-serving. Once discovered, the consequences of lying depend on the severity of it, but they may include loss of trust and de-escalation