The relationship between lying and self-regulation: a scoping review

Abstract

Lying is a common yet complex behaviour that involves deliberate and effortful inter-and intrapersonal strategies, through which individuals seek to achieve specific outcomes while simultaneously managing the risks associated with deception. It thus requires effective self-regulation-the capacity to modify one's emotions, cognition, and behaviour in response to contextual demands-whether to refrain from or to persist in telling a lie. Previous research on lying and self-regulation is however fragmented and often yields contradictory findings. In addition, as no studies could be found that systematically synthesize research on lying from a self-regulation perspective, important questions about the relationship between lying and self-regulation during adulthood remains. The aim of this study was therefore to systematically identify and map the existing scientific literature on the relationship between lying and self-regulation in adults. A scoping review, based on the framework of Arksey and O'Malley (2005), was conducted to identify 21 studies for inclusion, which were then subjected to inductive content analysis. Scientific approval was obtained from the research entity and research committee for Community Psychosocial research (COMPRES), and ethical approval from the Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the North-West University (NWU-00158-24-S1). Despite limited available empirical studies, two major themes emerged from the study, namely lying and the strength of self-regulation, and lying and the process of self-regulation. Strength refers to the degree of proficiency in, and the extent to which an individual has access to self-regulation as a resource. This was evident in four subthemes, namely self-regulation as a personality trait, self-regulation as a moral characteristic, depleted self-control, and locus of control. Process in contrast, refers to the application and process of control in the context of telling a lie, as evident in three sub-themes, namely, cognitive-, non-verbal-, and emotional control processes. Most studies focused on self-control as both a strength and a process in lying behaviour but lack information on other self-regulation mechanisms like goal intention, motivation, self-monitoring, goal discrepancy, and change implementation. Evidence further suggests a complex relationship between lying and self-regulation, as indicated by (i) the paradoxical role self-control plays in lying; (ii) the role context plays; and (iii) the dynamic, process-nature of lying and how it is regulated over time. Therefore, while the review identified key themes that suggest a link between lying and self-regulation, there is no clear evidence detailing how this relationship unfolds in practice. Furthermore, many studies did not consider cultural, developmental, and situational factors, while inconsistent findings reduce the conclusions that can be drawn from the literature, possibly highlighting the need for more standardised and replicable research methods. Based on the findings, further research is recommended to adopt a more comprehensive approach that fully explores how lying and self-regulation interact over time and across various contexts, while also considering other key self-regulation mechanisms.