In the recent Senate hearing on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball we witnessed two radically opposed testimonies. One was by Brian McNamee, who accused Roger Clemens of taking the drug, and the other by Roger Clemens, who was categorically denying it. Both could not be telling the truth: one had to be lying under oath.

Lying under oath or to authorities such as the IRS makes it a criminal offence. However lying is not illegal per se but it is, in most circumstances, unethical.

Why do we lie?

Fear and shame are probably the most common reasons people lie. Fear of the consequences that might result from what we have done but also fear of shame.

Professor Robert Feldman, of the University of Massachusetts thinks that lying is related to self-esteem. " We find that as soon as people feel that their self-esteem is threatened, they immediately begin to lie at higher level." A study he published in the Journal of Basic and Applied Psychology, found that 60 percent of people had lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation, saying an average of approximately 3 "inaccurate things."

We start early. The February 18th, 2008 issue of New York Magazine asked in it cover story why kids lie? Professor Nancy Darling from Penn State University conducted a study and found that 98 percent of teens reported lying to their parents, yet 96 to 98 percent of those teens also believed that lying is morally wrong. Po Bronson, the author of the article explains that according to recent studies the most important reason children lie is because they imitate their parents.

The many euphemisms used for the words "lie" and "lying" seems to indicate that society in general disapproves of the practice. Words like "misstatements, or "false pretenses" are often used to replace the harsh word of "lie." Someone said: "Euphemism is an euphemism for lying."

It is a particular challenge in Public Relations when speaking to the media about our clients. David Finn, the co-founder and Chairman of Ruder Finn, says in his article "Why We Lie" (published in 8th volume of our magazine MOVE!) that: "we should always be scrupulous about not telling others something we do not believe is true."

My father always told us that he believed that lying is an expression of weakness and that people that are strong have to courage to face and tell the truth.

Horace Mann, the abolitionist, social reformer, and visionary educator said:

"Seek not greatness, but seek truth and you will find both."