pathology of lying-第13节

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　more　significant　is　the　fact　that　Inez　possesses　a　speaking　voice　of　power　and　charm；　well　modulated　and　of　general　qualities　which　could　belong　apparently　to　no　other　than　a　highly　cultivated　person。

During　a　year　there　has　been　no　variation　in　the　general　well…being　of　Inez；　although　she　has　been　taken　to　hospitals　in　at　least　two　more　towns　and　has　figured　again　as　a　sufferer　from　tuberculosis　and　appendicitis；　and　has　written　several　times　to　friends　that　she　was　about　to　be　operated　on。

The　diagnoses　of　several　competent　medical　men　are　that　the　girl　is　a　simulator　or　is　an　hysterical；　and　their　findings　show　that　she　has　lied　tremendously　about　her　past。　　（There　were　never　any　positive　signs　of　hysteria；　and　our　own　opinion　is　that　the　case　is　much　better　called　one　of　extreme　simulation　and　misrepresentation；　as　in　the　diabetes　and　sputum　affairs；　etc。；　and　of　self…mutilation；　as　with　the　hairpin。）

We　have　had　ample　opportunity　to　become　acquainted　with　Inez's　mental　qualities。　　She　has　repeatedly　been　given　tests　for　mental　ability。　　As　judged　by　the　average　of　those　seen　in　our　court　work　we　are　forced　to　regard　her　as　having　ability　clearly　above　the　normal。　　Her　perceptions　are　keen　and　quick。　　She　works　planfully　and　rapidly　with　our　concrete　problems　and　shows　good　powers　of　mental　representation。　　It　is　notable　that　she　is　very　keen　to　do　her　best　on　tests　and　takes　much　delight　in　a　good　record。　　Her　psychomotor　control　is　astonishingly　good。　　In　a　certain　tapping　test；　which　we　consider　well　done　if　the　individual　has　succeeded　in　tapping　in　90　squares　in　30　seconds；　she　did　117　and　129　at　two　successive　trials　with　only　one　error　in　each。　　This　is　next　to　the　best　record　we　have　ever　seen。　　Our　puzzle　box；　which　is　seldom　opened　in　less　than　2　minutes；　she　planfully　attacked　and　conquered　in　52　seconds。　　She　also　rapidly　put　it　together　again；　which　is　an　unusual　performance。　　Reaction　times　on　the　antonym　test；　giving　the　opposites　to　words；　were　very　low；　average　1。4　seconds。　　Her　immediate　memory　for　words　was　normal；　but　nothing　extraordinary。　　She　gave　correctly；　although　not　quite　in　logical　order；　18　out　of　20　items　on　a　passage　which　she　read　herself。　　On　a　passage　read　four　times　to　her　she　gave　11　out　of　12　items　in　correct　sequence。　　The　Kent…Rosanoff　association　test　showed；　to　our　surprise；　nothing　peculiar。　　Notwithstanding　her　known　social　characteristics；　there　were　very　few　egocentric　or　subjective　reactions。　

Nor　did　the　‘‘Aussage''　test　show　great　peculiarity。　　On　free　recital　she　gave　17　items；　two　of　which　were　incorrect。　　They　were　misinterpretations　rather　than　inventions；　however。　　On　questioning　she　added　15　items。　　She　was　incorrect　on　5　more　details；　but　all　of　these　were　denials　of　objects　actually　to　be　seen　in　the　picture。　　Not　one　was　a　fictitious　addition。　　She　rejected　all　the　6　suggestions　proffered。

Our　psychological　observations　were　important　beyond　the　giving　of　formal　tests。　　We　found　her　to　be　a　fluent　and　remarkably　logical　and　coherent　conversationalist。　　Her　choice　of　words　was　unusually　good。　　Questioned　about　this　she　said　she　had　always　made　it　a　point　to　cultivate　a　vocabulary　and　was　particularly　fond　of　the　use　of　correct　English。　　（This　was　all　the　more　interesting　because　we　later　knew　that　she　had　been　living　recently　with　somewhat　illiterate　people　and　that　her　original　home　offered　her　very　little　in　the　way　of　educational　advantages。）　　Inez　told　us　that　she　had　earlier　carried　her　desire　for　self…expression　in　language　to　the　point　of　writing　stories　and　plays；　but　we　were　never　able　to　get　her　to　do　anything　of　the　kind　for　us。　　One　of　her　constant　pleas　was　that　she　might　get　the　chance　to　become　a　well…trained　teacher　of　English。　　Her　letters　never　showed　the　same　skill　with　English　that　her　conversation　denoted；　but　her　meagre　education　probably　accounted　for　this。

Characteristic　of　Inez；　also；　is　her　intense　egoism　and　her　abundant　self…assertion　under　all　circumstances。　　It　often　seemed　to　us　as　if　for　her　the　world　revolved；　with　passing　show；　around　a　pivot　from　which　she　regarded　it　as　existing　only　for　what　it　meant　for　her　career。　　These　qualities　have　led　to　her　statements；　and　perhaps　to　the　actual　feelings；　that　she　was　the　aggrieved　one；　and　had　been　badly　treated　on　many　occasions。　　This　seemed　to　reach　almost　paranoidal　heights　at　times；　and　yet；　before　passing　judgment　on　this；　one　should　be　in　position　to　know；　what　probably　will　never　be　known；　namely；　the　actual　facts　of　her　earliest　treatment。　　Occasionally　Inez　showed　most　unreasonable　bad　temper　and　obstinacy。　　This　only　came　out　when　she　was　asked　to　do　things　which　she　considered　occupationally　beneath　her。　　In　general　she　felt　herself　much　above　the　ordinary　run　of　people。　　When　she　could　be　patronizing；　as　with　children；　she　acted　quite　the　grand　lady。　　Indeed；　in　asserting　herself　on　numerous　occasions　she　has　assumed　just　this　attitude；　which　is　all　the　more　strange　because　our　further　information　shows　that　it　was　not　justified　by　any　social　station　which　her　family　ever　held。

Going　further　with　psychological　considerations　it　is　to　be　asserted　that　Inez　showed　marked　lack　of　normal　apperceptive　ability　in　not　appreciating　the　necessarily　unfavorable　results　of　her　own　lying。　　For　that　matter；　she　also　fails　to　learn　by　experience；　for　very　frequently　she　has　suffered　from　her　own　prevarications。　　It　might；　however；　be　argued　that　to　Inez　the　thought　of　a　possible　hum…drum　future　in　which　there　was　no　adventure；　no　roving；　and　no　playing　the　part　of　a　successful　personality；　was　a　worse　choice　than　that　of　lying；　which　might　and；　indeed；　often　did　serve　the　purpose　of　making　friends　with　people；　who　otherwise　would　not　have　entertained　her。　　So　one　could　hardly　judge　her　deficient　even　in　this　particular。　　（Of　the　character　of　her　lying　and　the　special　observations　on　that　point　more　later。）

We　found　Inez；　then；　neither　mentally　defective　nor　insane。　　To　even　say　that　she　was　without　moral　sense　would　be　beyond　the　mark；　for　in　many　ways　she　showed　great　appreciation　of　the　best　types　of　behavior。　　Her　peculiarities　verging　on　the　abnormal　are；　however；　undoubted；　they　render　her　a　socially　pernicious　person。　　They　are　to　be　summed　up　in　terms　of　what　we　have　discussed　above；　namely；　her　excessive　egoism；　her　faulty　judgment　or　apperceptions；　her　astounding　tendency　to　falsification。

Inez　was　next　heard　from　in　Iowa　where　she　wrote　that　two　doctors　had　pronounced　upon　her　case　and　said　an　operation　was　again　imperative。　　She　asked　her　recently　made　friend　for　permission　to　have　this　done；　and　also　for　150　to　cover　expenses。　　Neither；　of　course；　was　forthcoming；　on　the　grounds　of　there　being　no　guardianship。　　（Her　age　was　then　unknown。）　　Inez　wrote；　‘‘I　just　thought　I　was　compelled　by　law　to　let　you　know　of　my　whereabouts；　for　I　understood　I　could　do　nothing　without　your　consent。''　　In　the　same　letter；　replete　with　other　lies；　Inez　asks；　‘‘Please　forgive　me　now　for　all　my　willfulness　and　wrongdoing。　　I　will　do　my　best　never　to　do　it　again；　and　Oh！　　I　do　so　want　to　be　good　so　that　you　may　feel　proud　of　me　some　day　in　the　near　future。''

A　month　or　so　later　this　friend　was　called　up　by　the　director　of　a　religious　home　for　girls　in　Chicago；　who　stated　that　Inez　had　just　come　to　them　and　had　been　taken　seriously　ill。　　Advice　was　given　to　discount　her　symptoms；　but　she　was　sent　once　more　to　a　hospital。　　Here　she　produced　more　blood　as　if　from　a　pulmonary　hemorrhage　and　more　symptoms　were　recounted；　but　the　doctors　decided　after　careful　examination　that　she　was　falsifying。　　Her　illness　ceased　the　minute　she　was　told　to　leave　the　hospital。　　Matters　were　serious；　for　Inez　was　now　without　home；　money；　or　relatives。　　She　was　once　more　taken　under　protection　and　greater　effort　was　made　to　trace　her　family。　　They　were　discovered　through　letters　containing　remittances　sent　by　Inez　herself　from　Iowa；　after　years　of　silence。　　Much　of　her　career　was　soon　brought　to　light。　　By　this　time；　we　may　note；　several　observers　had　insisted　that　from　a　commonsense　standpoint　the　girl　certainly　was　insane。

While　affairs　were　being　looked　up；　Inez　conferred　with　us　from　time　to　time。　　She　started　by　telling　a　thoroughly　good　story；　the　general　import　of　which　was　the　same　as　she　told　months　previously；　but　there　were　differences　in　many　details。　　In　the　first　place　she　still　insisted　she　was　17　years　old　and　gave　us　an　exact　date　as　her　birthday　this　was　in　response　to　the　mild　suggestion　that　she　might　be　considerably　older。　　Since　her　letters；　although　showing　very　good　choice　of　words；　were　incorrectly　punctuated；　we　inquired　further　about　her　education。　　She　said　she　had　received　18　credits　in　a　noted　girls'　seminary　in　the　south；　but　later　reversed　this　and　stated　she　had　very　little　education。　　She　told　us　her　experiences　of　the　last　few　months　when　she　had　been　introducing　literary　works　in　the　towns　of　Iowa。　　She　had　done　well　for　a　beginner　at　this；　we　found　from　other　sources；　but　had　made　misrepresentations　and　had　talked　too　freely；　against　her　employers'　wishes　and　advice。　　Finally　she　had　sent　in　forged　orders。　　This　was　quite　unnecessary；　for　her　salary　was　assured　and