it's called mythomania

  i only stretched the truth this much, and it was for your own good.



Compulsive lying, also called Mythomania, is a rather common symptom of mental illness. This disorder presents an acute challenge by its very nature because health care professionals cannot always tell if the patient is telling the truth with regard to symptoms. Compulsive or pathological liars are often so convincing that they consistently beat polygraph tests and convince themselves that their lies are the truth.


 The Difference Between Habitual Lying and Mythomania
 

It is hard to separate these two cases, because some people engage in “white” lies to avoid hurting other’s feelings. The pathological liar, by contrast, cannot help lying, even when the lie cause’s harm. It is this aspect of Mythomania that distinguishes it as a form of illness, rather than a habit. Those who lie regularly and without compunction to achieve desired results may need to consider some form of therapy to change these habits.

there ya go kids, now you know what's wrong with him, and this is apparently caused by,  'The complex issues involved include self esteem, feelings of inadequacy, early life issues including physical or verbal abuse, drug and alcohol addiction and more.'

i took the top two paragraphs as well as the causation statement from the Helping Psychology site, it was authored by Marc Pickren and appeared in Intro to Psychology.

we have heard this for years about this guy,  maybe through static and in the background, but it was there.  we tuned it out or only glanced at it in passing, but it was there, under our noses, hiding in the open.  how we handle it is up to us.

sorta lends credence to the theories about his birth certificate and draft registration card now don't it?

Veterans Day 2013

this veterans day will be a bitter sweet day off for me.  normally i would work, but the wife and i get such little time together these days i decided to take it off.  the last year has seen the loss of 2 men who were very dear to me, my dad, and my uncle.

dad is at the top, as shown in his NAVY uniform during the Korean War.  the next picture is my uncle, probably in the  "tan and pinks" of the ARMY during WW2.  they weren't "great men" as defined by thomas carlyle, but they were  wonderful to me, and their families. 

dad was a bit acerbic at times, but i truly grew to appreciate him after i left home and joined the ARMY myself.  until you are out on your own, working to put a roof over other's heads and pay bills, worrying about kids health and grades, i don't think a man can honestly understand the pressure of being a dad.  the sunday mornings when he would return home after delivering papers most of the night, and wake me up to go fishing meant so much to me.  i think i must have been quite a bemusement to dad as he was SUCH a liberal, and i turned out to be SO conservative, despite his best efforts.  i really miss calling and heckling him over the the many screw ups of his buddies clinton, reid and pelosi, teddy swim meet, and the annointed one.  dad claimed i couldn't get under his skin, but he sure did get good at hanging up on me when i called to razz him about the great job the dems were doing.

my uncle was huge when i was a kid, with a deep gruff voice and cigars who was sorta scary.  outward appearance aside, he was one of the kindest, gentlest men i have ever known.  he grew up tough working with my grandfather on rental properties the family owned and collecting money from over due renters.  he was almost stabbed once doing this.  before and after the war he worked for one of the bell's stringing telephone lines, and based on that experience he rose to the rank of master sergeant in the ARMY's signal corps.  i could always stop by and see and see him and my aunt,  an ARMY nurse during the war, when i was a kid and get a soda and sandwich if i was out running around.  as i no longer live where i grew up,i was so glad i took the time out of a busy schedule to stop and visit with my uncle after dad's funeral, as he passed just 6 months later.

so today as the wife and i get a little us time, we will be remembering these 2 sons of the republic, and their service. we miss you everyday.