A Literature Review of Prosocial Lying

Document Type

Capstone Enhancement

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

Prosocial lies can broadly be defined as lies that are intended to benefit someone other than the deceiver. Researchers sometimes further subdivide these lies into narrower categories, including white, gray, and even blue lies based on specific intent and perceived morality. Prosocial lies are used frequently in human interaction, typically to avoid causing emotional harm, and are widely viewed as more acceptable than lies told for one’s own benefit. The tendency to tell prosocial lies develops very early, having been displayed in children as young as 4 years old. The ability and tendency to tell prosocial lies has been shown to be affected by several aspects of executive functioning and both first- and second-order theory of mind. However, some research has found that certain groups of people, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, have significant deficits in the ability to produce prosocial lies, and may use alternative mental processes to do so. This paper seeks to gather existing research on the usage and moral evaluations of prosocial lies, the early development of the production of prosocial lying, and how this development is different in certain groups of neurodivergent individuals, and to highlight gaps within the literature that have yet to be explored.

This document is currently not available here.

Open Access

Available to all.

Share

COinS