<p>What you are describing is overlapping with what you would classify as a <a href="https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787024/all/Delusions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">delusion</a>.</p>
<p>This is not to be confused with psychosis or hallucinations, however, can (and is not always) a byproduct of these conditions.</p>
<p>Like you said, dissociate amnesia is commonly linked with trauma, and should be thought of more as a detachment from reality, rather than being caught in a fantasy. I recommend checking out <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0415736013" rel="nofollow noreferrer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">psychoanalytic writing and research on dissociation</a> to better understand this, and how it differs from delusion.</p>

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2024-06-03T21:11:57.303Z
Ok thank you I think I will
Melchizadek
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2024-06-03T23:32:07.477Z
@Melchizadek Glad to help!
stephan_phd
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2024-06-02T21:27:47.920Z
2024-06-02T21:27:47.920Z
stephan_phd
<p>So I like to write characters and one idea was someone who's so used to lying that when it comes to origin story the character lied so much about that they don't know whats true anymore. But it got me wondering if there is a name such a phenomenon. I've searched the internet and the closest term I've found is disassociative amnesia where the mind purposely forgets traumatic events as a coping mechanism but then the person fills in the gaps and goes from there but that's hardly what I'm looking for. I'm thinking more on the lines that someone becomes so used to lying that frankly the original itself is shrouded to the individual, and I doubt that after many decades of research and studies there's never been such a case where someone lies until they no longer know whats true let alone not having a term for such a phenomenon</p>

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2024-06-02T07:40:41.130Z
You may instead want to look at false memories, such as: [Intentionally making ourselves remember things that never happened](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/10796/7001).
Arnon Weinberg
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2024-06-02T18:10:09.863Z
@ArnonWeinberg hm alright that was informative thank you, not quite what I was looking for but yeah that helped a little
Melchizadek
<terminology>
Is there a term for when a pathological liar can longer tell what part of their story is true and a lie
Melchizadek
# Is there a term for when a pathological liar can longer tell what part of their story is true and a lie

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-06-02)

So I like to write characters and one idea was someone who's so used to lying that when it comes to origin story the character lied so much about that they don't know whats true anymore. But it got me wondering if there is a name such a phenomenon. I've searched the internet and the closest term I've found is disassociative amnesia where the mind purposely forgets traumatic events as a coping mechanism but then the person fills in the gaps and goes from there but that's hardly what I'm looking for. I'm thinking more on the lines that someone becomes so used to lying that frankly the original itself is shrouded to the individual, and I doubt that after many decades of research and studies there's never been such a case where someone lies until they no longer know whats true let alone not having a term for such a phenomenon

**Tags:** terminology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You may instead want to look at false memories, such as: [Intentionally making ourselves remember things that never happened](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/10796/7001).  
> **username_0**: @ArnonWeinberg hm alright that was informative thank you, not quite what I was looking for but yeah that helped a little  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-06-02. Score: 1

What you are describing is overlapping with what you would classify as a [delusion](https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787024/all/Delusions).

This is not to be confused with psychosis or hallucinations, however, can (and is not always) a byproduct of these conditions.

Like you said, dissociate amnesia is commonly linked with trauma, and should be thought of more as a detachment from reality, rather than being caught in a fantasy. I recommend checking out [psychoanalytic writing and research on dissociation](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0415736013) to better understand this, and how it differs from delusion.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ok thank you I think I will  
> **username_2**: @username_0 Glad to help!  

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