why does someone become a liar?

I wish I knew. I had a very close friend for many years who was a habitual liar and I overlooked it for many years because she had honestly been a good friend to me, or so I thought. The bad thing about it is that she's married and has 3 kids who are learning by her example. Her husband knows what she does and hates it. Her oldest daughter knows and did hate it, but I have to wonder what she'll pick up from her mother. There are two younger children who also are being influenced by the things she does. I have never understood why it was that she felt that she had to tell these lies, and now, I no longer wonder. Fortunately I severed our relationship and don't have to wonder about it anymore or worry about what I'm going to have to deal with next from her.

I think it a lack of self-esteem. Sometimes people feel the need to lie to make themselve try to look better. They are afraid to look in the mirror and discover who they really are. Or, maybe they end up feeling guilty about something they have done and try to hide the truth. Once they begin lying and succeed in getting away with it, they might begin to think they can consistently do it. It becomes part of their lives and they never think twice about covering up something. Even if they are caught, they might so "so what" and continue to lie and not think twice about it. It is a way for some to make themselves look better in the eyes of others because they don't believe in themselves.

yes i believe that there are those who are habitual liers. that they don't kow anymore how to tell the truth or the real thing that happened. but i also believe that sometimes we lie, to protect ourselves or the people we love. we need to hide something because we think that if we do, we could spare something bad to happen.. or a problem to come out.

My brother is a liar, all the time. Don't know why he does it. Can't even understand where he is coming from. If its to lift himself at the expense of someone else. My father would say to him. "You tell the many lies, you don't know when you're telling the truth and when you're telling a lie." That about sums it up.