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Your gut instinct may quickly tell you somethings off with a pathological liar.
Instead of agreeing and engaging them, you can give them a confused, blank stare.
That lets them know you realize they arent fooling you with their outlandish
stories. This may get them to pull back or move on to someone else.
2. Get confirmation.
If you know this person lies a lot, dont even consider believing any part of their
story unless you can line it up with facts. Until you can, make sure you stay
detached and neutral during all your conversations.
3. Dont argue with them.
Theres no point in arguing with a person that clearly has issues and lives in their
own head. Youll most likely never get to the truth anyway and its best to just keep
your distance if you can.7
If youre friends with the person, Nobullying.com says to try these suggestions:
4. Offer support for them.
Reassure them that you still care about them regardless of their issues. Tell them
you understand they felt compelled to lie and that you are willing to help.
5. Help them change.
Encourage them to practice the truth a little at a time. Telling a few truths
consciously and intentionally may help in adjusting their behavior.8
If all else fails, you may need to call it quits with the friendship. Sometimes, you
cant stay friends with a pathological liar. In that case, you may need to end the
relationship altogether and stay away from that person. Livestrong.com says:
Pathological liars can overcome the propensity to lie, but it takes willingness and,
usually, therapy, so to be a friend you need to be there for the long run. Often
though, the person does not want help, at which point you need to make a clean
break to keep from being hurt.9
Understanding how a pathological liar operates as well as how to recognize one will
make you better equipped to deal with this person properly and protect yourself in
the process.