I don't know. When I leave my bubble of scientists and techies I regularly come across people who will lie without reason, motive or gain, and I think some of them are more emotional than the mean.

It still throws me off, you have to basically vet or ignore any factual statement they make because it might either not have any correlation with reality at all or, if it is a statement about their intentions and feelings, they will not remember what they said in the future anyway and say they always had the new opinion.

A lot of people will lie all the time. Usually for emotional reasons. (insecurity, fear, etc). Most people don't lie specifically to manipulate, but rather to protect themselves from a more uncomfortable situation.

This also happens with personality-disordered people (particularly, Narcissists, and especially the Borderline PD people I know . . . they SEEM manipulative, and they technically are, but they're manipulating for a reason that's usually ego-defensive).

Psychopaths, on the other hand, will lie for no damn reason at all that makes any sense to a sane person.

> And at the first sign of things not adding up, end the relationship and any contact.

How about 'at the first proof of things not adding up'? Verification works both ways. If an isolated incident smells funny but checks out on investigation then maybe it was just a misinterpretation.

No thanks. I learned a long time ago that people always tell me who they are right away, in jest. I learned somewhat later to take them at their word.

Not always, but often. And I agree, it's usually wise to listen to someone if they warn you about themselves.