Secrets & Lies: The Art of Deception in Literature and Psychology (PSYCH 127)

3–5 credits · Undergraduate

While society condemns liars in everyday life, the history of literature is full of beautiful liars and spectacular lies. In this course, we will examine the role of the lie as a plot driver and character shaper, and focus on the impact of a secret on the story's structure and the characters' credibility. Through the lens of psychological defense mechanisms, we will use lies as a way to uncover the emotional truth of the characters, and map the secrets we hide from others - and from ourselves. This integrative course combines the reading of literary masterpieces, writing and character exploration exercises, recent empirical studies on the psychology of lying, and an introduction to Anna Freud's work on psychological defense mechanisms.