Development and validation of the pathological lying inventory

Abstract

Pathological lying has been studied for over a century, but only recently validated diagnostic criteria were developed that consider the frequency, pervasiveness, and chronicity of lying, along with the distress, dysfunction, and risks of danger caused by lying. Using these new criteria, we crafted a set of survey items aimed at measuring those features. In study 1, we carried out exploratory factor analyses that confirmed a three-factor model for our resultant 19-item Pathological Lying Inventory (PLI). In study 2, we validated the PLI against several measures, demonstrating the scores on the PLI are associated with frequent, pervasive, and chronic lying, psychological distress, social dysfunction, and negative life outcomes. In study 3, we conducted a test-retest reliability analysis of the PLI over two weeks, demonstrating that the PLI has high test-retest reliability. Finally, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the three-factor structure of the PLI. We believe that the PLI will offer researchers and clinicians a brief and valid tool for assessing the degree to which people exhibit patterns of pathological lying.