Pathology of Lying, Etc.

W >> William and Mary Healy >> Pathology of Lying, Etc.

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The ``Aussage'' test, for obvious reasons, was not given.

Georgia told her story with surprising coherency; in outline, it
was as follows: She ran away from home, and then was put under
protection of the police authorities by a man who caught her.
She said she was caught when standing by a drug store where she
had been to get medicine, just ten cents worth of peroxide. When
asked by us if it were not really carbolic acid she called for,
she said yes, it was and that she intended to take it. She
wanted to get rid of her life. What could she do in the way of
living? Her father and mother were both sick and they could not
live long and then how could she get along taking care of three
little children? When asked if her parents would not be terribly
affected by her suicide she said that it would not be the first
time they had buried a child. At this time she would go no
further into her history.

On the next day she talked straight to the point, but with a
remarkably dull expression on her face. She said that about five
weeks ago, she cannot tell the exact date, she went to a
neighbor's house. A man there wanted her to come and look at
some pictures. He finally got her to go to a bedroom and then
held her so she could not scream, and raped her. She is sure of
it. He later choked and beat her and kicked her out of the
house. At first she was afraid to tell her people. A couple of
weeks afterward she went back and asked why he did that, and he
swore at her and accused her of being bad, and she and he talked
back and forth for some time. ``He says, `I'll kill you. I did
not touch you at all.' I says, `You did. You're a liar and you
can kill me now if you want to. You have already killed me.
See, I grow large like this.' '' He then set upon her and beat
her again. She has not seen him since. After telling this
Georgia began to cry very hard and said that she really is killed
now and is done for. The whole story was told in a
straightforward way with a full show of emotion.

A complicating feature of this case, resultant upon lack of
understanding of the characteristic vagaries of this type, was
the action of a vigorous knight errant. He was the one who
rescued her. Hearing her ask in the drug store for the carbolic
acid, which she did not get, he thought she was desperate and
questioned her, but she tearfully refused to answer. He quietly
followed her until she got to the river, and then, when she had
her foot on the rail of the bridge and was about to jump off, he
seized her. She fought and kicked him so that she badly hurt one
of his legs. She told him she had reason to commit suicide. He
got her to some house and there she fainted. When she came to
she described her situation to him, naming a man who boarded with
a neighbor as having raped her. She told him this was the reason
she had tried to commit suicide.

This young man visited Georgia's family, found them strangely
indifferent and not inclined to believe the girl, so he set out
to see that justice was done. With his well-intended efforts he
succeeded in getting several agencies to work on the case, the
parents meanwhile partly resenting his interference. They said
they knew what kind of a girl she was.

We never felt thoroughly satisfied with the family history on
account of the comparative ignorance of the parents, our only
source of information, although they were honest enough people.
All points in heredity seemed negative, nor could we learn that
there had been anything significant in developmental conditions.
The girl had only recently menstruated. Her people felt that of
late her word was quite unreliable. She went as far as the 4th
grade. On account of the short time in school in this country
this was considered doing fairly well.

Ten months prior she had fallen off a street car; it was not
known she was damaged seriously. A jury had given a verdict of
several hundred dollars against the company, but on account of an
appeal having been taken the case was still unsettled. Since the
accident a number of fainting attacks had occurred and Georgia
had lost one position on account of them, a place where she had
worked for 2 years. She was said to have been quite healthy
before the accident. Some 5 weeks before we saw her, the girl
had become hysterical and announced that she had not menstruated
the week before and the cause was that she had been raped. Her
behavior was so peculiar in regard to this that her parents did
not believe her statements and did nothing about it. The girl
evidently was accustomed to telling falsehoods, although we could
get no specific account of them. The parents were very anxious
to avoid a scandal, for though they were poor they made much of
their respectability .

Georgia was examined after a later reiteration of her charges;
the physician said that she had not been raped. After we saw her
the parents thought it was best to go to another physician with
the young man who had become so interested. Once more the report
was that there had been no rape, but it now appeared that there
had been some manipulation of the parts. After this the case
quieted down, but Georgia had run away again just before this
second examination. When by our recommendation she was now
placed in a convalescent home she repeated the same stories and
announced that she was pregnant. Of course more trouble was
created by this and a third examination had to be made to
convince these good people who had been recently asked to
interest themselves in her.

After her stay in the convalescent home Georgia returned to her
parents, and, appearing to be recovered, went to work again. Her
record for two years was unexpectedly satisfactory. When the
above episode had blown over she regained control of herself,
adapted herself to family conditions, and worked steadily. On
one occasion her nervous symptoms have returned with much
depression and again an attempt at suicide. She was now
carefully studied in a hospital for signs of insanity, but again
it was determined that she was not of unsound mind. She made a
speedy recovery, adjusted herself once more to her surroundings,
and after a few months became married. During the last year or
so there has been no further trouble. A settlement of the law
suit for injuries was made before her more recent period of
depression. At the time of even her last attack we can learn of
no more false accusations having been made. The family attitude
about her has, all along, not been what it should have been to
have gained the proper results, but the problem of poverty was
always with them.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Mentality: Traumatic psychoneurosis. Case 24.
Girl, age 16 years.
Accident, with law suit following.
General physical conditions: Anemia, poor
nutrition, otitis media.
Delinquencies: Mentality:
Running away. Poor ability;
Attempted suicide. temporary
False accusations. aberration.
---------------------------------------------------------------

CASE 25

Summary: Case of a young man of 19, with already a long record
of criminalism, who created much trouble for a court where a
judge was keenly anxious to do justice. The fellow implicated
himself in a sensational murder, but investigation proved this to
be untrue. In other ways his word was found most unreliable.
The question concerning his sanity could only be answered by
stating that he was an aberrational type peculiarly inclined to
criminalism, and therefore needed segregation, and that he was
also given to pathological lying and self- accusation. From the
legal and social standpoints it is important to note that the
case represents a type, unquestionably abnormal, although the
mental pathology could not be subsumed under the head of any one
of the designated mental diseases.

The case of John B. was studied at the request of a judge who had
continued the trial because of the manifest mental peculiarities
of the defendant. We were told that his behavior varied much,
that one day he would cry and apologize, and on another would
show stupid bravado. As the judge stated, John had long been in
disciplinary institutions and this had failed to do any good.
The immediately peculiar features of the case were that while he
was being held for vagrancy and robbery, John made a strong
attempt to implicate himself in a murder case. In other words he
was a self-accuser.

We found a strong young man of 19 years; weight 157 lbs., height
5 ft. 5 in. Very broad shouldered and deep chested, but slouchy
attitude. Good color. Eyes bright. Varicocele. Somewhat
defective vision in one eye. Well-shaped head--circumference
56.5, length 18.5 and breadth 16 cm. Thick, heavy voice.
Appears dull and depressed, but energizes under encouragement.
Other physical examination negative. Complains merely of
headaches in left frontal region, but says he has had these only
since last year when he was struck there by a beer bottle.
Recently an excessive user of tobacco.

In the mental examination we found much of interest. When first
seen he gave every appearance of being a mental defective, but by
judicious stimulation he could be waked up to do comparatively
good work in several directions. On the Binet tests, 1911
series, he passed all but one of the 12 year set; in that he
followed the suggestion offered. On the 15 year old tests he did
three out of five. The failures were on the memory span of
figures and in the repetition of a sentence of 26 syllables.

By our other tests we also found him defective in verbal memory
processes, even when he read the passage to be remembered. In
working with our so-called construction tests, where his success
depended not only upon planning with concrete material, but even
more on the ability to profit by his failures, he did decidedly
poorly. In handling the puzzle box, where above everything is
required perception of the relationship of one step to another,
he succeeded very rapidly. With the cross-line tests, which
require mental representation of an easily remembered figure and
analysis of its parts, he did very poorly, succeeding only after
the third attempt in each of the two simple tests. This is a
type of work that is especially easy for the normal person.

In our ``Aussage'' or Testimony Test we got a decidedly poor
result. At first enumeration he gave only 8 items, and on cross
questioning gave only 6 more. He denied seeing other objects
plain in the picture, but contradicted himself somewhat on this.
It is interesting that he took only one out of four suggestions,
notwithstanding his suggestibility on the Binet test.

On school work he does altogether much better. He writes a good
hand, reads fairly well, and promptly does a sum in long
division. He claims to have reached the 6th grade. One
difficulty in testing him was his prevailing lethargy. We
constantly had to fight this by encouragement. Once he insisted
he must give up the work because he had not had a smoke for an
hour or so. Altogether, including his irregularities, we could
not call him lower than poor in ability, possibly subnormal. He
did not come within the limits of the feebleminded group. Just
where to place him would depend upon what he perhaps could do
under other more favorable conditions. So much for the tests of
ability.

In studying him for aberrational tendencies there were positive
indications. Most significant it was when, in the Binet tests,
he came to the word ``justice'' and turned to the examiner,
saying feelingly, ``I don't know what that is,'' and then burst
into tears. Yet this was from a fellow who had offered to get
himself into even worse trouble with the courts. He made much of
his worrying about not having any home and not being the child of
his so-called parents. His attitude was of sorrow and
hopelessness about his whole situation in life. As seen again
about two weeks later, still more evidences of aberration were
found. He contradicted himself then in regard to his previous
stories, in regard to his home life, denied he had made
self-accusations, and very clearly did not remember at all
accurately what he had previously told me. In fact, he evidently
was not quite clear just who I was, although he had before been
brought across town under the charge of a couple of officers to
see me--an important break in his incarceration. He also told a
different story from one he had told before to a certain official
who now was present. He seemed rather mixed on a number of
points, and this is all the more significant because he had been
heartily afraid of being adjudged insane. Our diagnosis at this
time was purely tentative as far as exact diagnosis was
concerned. We stated that in our opinion he was an aberrational
type and the practical point was that he should neither be
allowed to go out in the community, nor be sent to a
penitentiary, but rather to an institution for observation and
perhaps for long detention. The jury found it necessary, as
usual in such cases, to declare him insane.

The history of John runs as follows: From an evidently
conscientious parent we learn of nothing significant in the
family history. At birth he was said to be bright and healthy.
He had diphtheria severely at 4 years. At 6 he started to
school. He always got along well in his classes, but was very
troublesome. At 11 years he began to run away from home. His
father spent much time and money in going to various parts of the
country for him, and at 13 years of age he was placed in an
industrial school. He is the only child. He came home after 2
years, remained there for 3 or 4 months and then ran away once
more to California. (His home was in the middle West.) He was
returned by the police, sent to the industrial school for another
year, and then again returned home. He stayed only 2 weeks
before running away to New York. Coming back he got into some
trouble and was sent for the third time to the industrial school.
There he stayed until 6 months before we saw him. He was
released once more on parole, stayed at home a week, and again
ran away. It is reported that during his early time at the
industrial school he was rather melancholy by spells, and at one
time tried to poison himself. His relatives say he has a bad
temper. He had typhoid fever at 14, but made a good recovery.

John has been known for years as a great liar, having told
miserable stories about his parents, all of which were quite
untrue. He has frequently mortified his father and mother by
denying his parentage. The last time John was on parole he wrote
more than one letter to police authorities in his home State,
informing them he had been implicated in a serious crime. An
officer at the reformatory institution had a letter from him
purporting to be written from a penitentiary, stating he was
sentenced there on a charge of robbery. When he was held in our
city on a minor charge, he informed the police officials that he
was connected with a certain notorious murder of which the papers
had been full just previously. He was sent out with a couple of
detectives who soon found he knew nothing about the actual facts,
and that his alleged accomplices were innocent men.

In jail it is reported that he seems childish. He has to be
locked up alone at times and then begs and teases to get out, but
in ten minutes or so will repeat the bad behavior. He has stolen
little things from others in custody and has attempted to dispose
of his own clothes for a few cents. It is definitely reported
that he has shown evidences of poor memory. From the institution
where he previously had been so long, word comes that he was
regarded there as not quite normal. John had been held in
another city on a charge of rape, but without much evidence, for
he was allowed to go. We could not find out whether he made
self-accusations in that case.

In his story to us he complains bitterly about his treatment at
the old institution, maintains he was head laundry man there,
tells about his excessive smoking of late, denies his parentage,
says the only friend he has is a certain church worker, maintains
he did not have any home to go to from the industrial school,
intimates he will commit suicide if there is any question of his
being declared insane, says that he had earlier stolen things
from home, tells of having spells when things get black in front
of his eyes and can't see for a little while, says he wants to be
sent to the penitentiary and wants to start right now serving his
term.

All told, there was nothing so striking about this whole case as
the extravagant tendencies towards prevarication. For years he
has been lying to no purpose, although he has never been
previously regarded as insane. Now he appears as an extreme
self-accuser and as a fellow whose word can't be trusted from
hour to hour. The lying, regarded as an aberrational tendency,
is out of proportion to our findings of abnormality in any other
sphere of mental activity, except perhaps the evidences of
defective memory processes. One trouble in gauging his memory
is, of course, the boy's prevarications, but one might argue that
if his memory processes were as good as his other abilities he
would make equal use of them.

Following our study and recommendation in the case John was found
not guilty, but insane. Then being resident of another State,
and, indeed, being on parole from a reformatory institution
there, he was held over to the jurisdiction of that State, and
placed in a hospital for the criminal insane. We have a full
report from the latter place which is exceedingly illuminating.
It appears that despite his first terror of being sent to an
asylum he adapted himself to his new surroundings very readily.
It is stated that he assisted with the ward work and spent his
leisure time in reading and playing cards. He asked for work
outside on the grounds and was regarded as a very courteous and
genial patient. No evidence of delusional or hallucinatory
trends could be obtained. He always seemed to be well oriented
and conscious of everything going on about him. Emotionally he
appeared somewhat subnormal inasmuch as he did not worry about
his own condition, but said he was perfectly contented. (The
latter, of course, to a psychiatrist would be significant.) He
was a great talker and his stories were well listened to. John
said that when he was indicted for robbery his lawyer advised him
to feign insanity and as a result he had been sent to that
hospital. (It is to be remembered that with us he made great
effort to show off his mental powers at their best and evidently
did somewhat better work than when later in the hospital.) He
gave them a history of being somewhat of a cocainist and
morphinist, of being a slick ``pickpocket,'' and of associating
with prominent criminals, particularly ``auto'' bandits. He was
boastful of his experiences, but sometimes admitted that he
prevaricated. It is most interesting to note that he told a
story of having concealed in Chicago some plunder--jewels, money,
and so on--and was really taken to Chicago by one of theBoard of
Visitors of the hospital to find the booty. It is hardly
necessary to say it was not located. The last of the hospital
report states, ``Inasmuch as we were unable to prove that he had
any form of insanity he was discharged.''

It is of no small importance for discussion of the relation
between insanity and criminalism to know that there are such
cases as this where the individual is unquestionably aberrational
and yet does not conform in mental symptoms to any one of the
definitive ``forms of insanity.'' They may be lacking in normal
social control and in ability to reason, impulsively inclined to
anti-social deeds and therefore social menaces, but,
notwithstanding this, may not be classified under the head of any
of the ordinary text-book types of mental diseases.

It is clear that for the protection of society a different notion
of what constitutes mental aberration or insanity should prevail,
so that these unusually dangerous types might be permanently
segregated. It would really seem that just the findings which
the hospital statement enumerates would convince one of this
individual's marked abnormality from a social point of view and
that his being at large was a grave undesirability.

The latest information concerning this young man is that he was
being held in a Western city for burglary.

We should hesitate to make out a card of causative factors in
this case. It is clear that the major cause in his delinquency
was his aberrational mentality. What there was by way of
causation back of this, our history, although obtained from an
apparently conscientious parent, is too meagre for explanation.

CASE 26

Summary: Boy of 16 had for 6 years caused a great amount of
trouble by his general unreliability and excessive lying. He had
been tried away from his own people in private homes and in
institutions without success. His lying was excessive and often
showed no purpose and no foresight. His peculiar delinquencies
demonstrated weakness of will. Although in good general physical
condition he simulated illnesses. Mental and physical
characteristics rendered certain the diagnosis of constitutional
inferiority.

We saw William S. first when he was over 16 years of age, after
he had been arrested for stealing. He had already been in three
institutions for delinquents. From his father and others we
gained a long story of the case.

William was in fairly good physical condition. No sensory
defect. Weight 125 lbs.; height 5 ft. 3 in. Although well
enough developed in other ways he was a marked case of delayed
puberty; as yet no pubescence. Strength only fair; for his age,
muscles decidedly flabby. A high, broad forehead. Large nose.
Peculiar curl of the upper lip. Small, weak chin. These
features give him a peculiar appearance--readily interpretable as
showing weakness of character. Cranium notably large. With
small amount of hair measurements were: circumference 57.8;
length 19.6; breadth 15.5 cm. (Head same size as father's.)
Expression downcast. Voice high pitched. ``Under dog''
attitude. Slouchy. No analgesia or other signs of hysteria.

The performance on tests was peculiarly irregular. In this
monograph we have omitted discussion of the results of separate
tests, but the citation of the summary as dictated when the case
was first studied will prove instructive: The work done on our
tests was very irregular, peculiarly so. Perceptions good and
most phases of the memory processes fair, but in reasoning
ability and especially in tests which require the application of
some foresight the results are poor indeed. The failure is
remarkable in proportion to what he could do in school work and
to his abilities in some other ways. He reads fluently, writes a
very good hand, and in arithmetic is able to do long division,
but showed no grasp of good method. When at his best he sticks
at a job well enough, but does it with no intelligence and does
not save himself in the least by thoughtful procedures. We were
interested to note that in a game which he said he had played a
great deal, namely checkers, he made the most foolish and
shortsighted moves. It is only fair to say that this boy varied
in his performance from time to time; his emotional condition
largely controlled his performance.

On the ``Aussage'' or Testimony Test he gave a functional account
upon free recital, with 15 details. On questioning he gave 13
more items. Out of the entire number only 3 minor errors. Of 5
suggestions proffered none was accepted.

There was a great deal more to be said about this boy's mental
peculiarities than what was evidenced by the giving of tests.
Our observations of him made at intervals over a period of
several months corroborated entirely the statements of several
others, including members of his own family. The boy was
remarkably unstable in his ideas and purposes. What he
apparently sincerely wanted to do and be at one time was entirely
different at another. His changeableness was shown in many ways.
When he had been found apparently suitable employment or a new
home he often would stay only a few days. The father's first
statement that the boy was a craven was borne out by all that we
saw. He was too cowardly to be ``tough,'' but he was a
persistent runaway and vagrant. He sometimes used an assumed
name. In general demeanor he was good natured, but always
restless. Not the least of his peculiarities was his ready
weeping. It was amazing to see so large a fellow draw down his
chin and sob like a young child. He was easily frightened at
night. Under observation he had peculiar episodes of behavior.
Once in a school-room, without any known provocation, he suddenly
began to cry and scream, picked up a chair and soon had the
entire room cleared out. A moment afterwards he was found
sobbing and bewailing his lot because he ``never had a fair
chance.'' On another occasion his legs strangely gave out and he
had to be carried to bed by his fellows. The next morning a
physician found him with his legs drawn up and apparently very
sensitive over his back and other parts of his body, but with a
little encouragement all his symptoms soon disappeared. He gave
a history of having had convulsions, but this was found to be
untrue. He was a ``bluffer'' among boys; when met valiantly
showed always great cowardice.

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