Lies, truths, and attachment orientations in late adolescence

In this paper we examine the association between adolescents’ attachment orientations and their perceived abilities to tell and detect lies and truths. The 121 adolescents who participated in this study (a) self-assessed their abilities to tell and detect lies and truths and (b) completed a measure of attachment orientations (ECR). Results indicated that participants overestimated their truth-related abilities (i.e., truth telling and truth detecting) and their lie detection abilities, but not their lie-telling abilities. Attachment anxiety predicted poor subjective abilities related to lies (i.e., telling and detecting lies) and poor subjective abilities related to delivering messages (i.e., telling lies and truths). Attachment avoidance predicted low self-ratings of truth-telling abilities. This is the first study to link insecure attachment orientations with perceived abilities to tell and detect lies and truths, and the first to link avoidance to lack of self-confidence in delivering truthful messages. The implications of these findings for interpersonal relationships, criminal interrogation, and court litigations are discussed. Suggestions for future studies examining broader implications of the results are offered.

► Adolescents overestimated their truth-telling and truth-detecting abilities.
► Adolescents overestimated their lie-detection but not their lie-telling abilities.
► Attachment anxiety predict poor subjective lie-telling and lie-detecting abilities.
► Attachment anxiety predicted poor subjective ability to deliver truths convincingly.
► Attachment avoidance predicted low self-ratings of truth-telling abilities.