Accusation-reinforcing behavior

[Sensi Star]

Have any of you been accused of a wrongdoing, and then unintentionally reinforced that accusation by acting guilty?

An acquaintance at an ongoing social function had something stolen from him. I am not sure who actually did it, but my intuition is telling me he thinks it was ME. I'm pretty sure of this, based on insinuations and conversational vibes I'm receiving from him.

The main problem is that the stronger his suspicion of me becomes, the more guilty I act when interacting with him. This happens every time I am accused of something. Even though I had nothing to do with it, I cannot help but ACT guilty and suspicious when I am accused of something. It's an automatic reflex that I can't control.

What do you think of this? Is this a known psychological concept, and what explanations are offered?

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

This is precisely the reason why I don't like ariports. I feel and act guilty for nothing. Perhaps, if there were not so much security I would not act in such a manner.

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

Yep. Exactly. In fact, people almost always believe me when I'm lying and think I'm lying when I'm trying to tell the truth.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Yes. I've observed it enough in myself, but I'm still trying to figure out the root cause. I haven't found any links to anything psychological, yet.


I have this thing where if people are constantly moving around, like between hallways and in and out of doorways, it'll induce me to switch positions or something and then I become self-aware and apprehensive of getting caught mid-position. It makes no sense.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

"If I just face the wall everywhere I walk in public no one will be able to see me travelling."

 

[Cognisant]

This is precisely the reason why I don't like ariports. I feel and act guilty for nothing. Perhaps, if there were not so much security I would not act in such a manner.

Try reverse psychology, convince yourself you have a bomb, or fruit & nuts if you're passing through an Australian airport.

I think it works for me because I'm negating a double negative.

Security Asks: There's nothing in your bag I should know about?
Me Thinks: No, there's nothing in my bag you should know about.
Negative and Negative = Positive, and I freak out.
Me Thinks: Yes I've got a bomb, two submachine guns, ammo and a sword.
Negative and Positive = Negative

That or being a hypothetical terrorist makes me audacious.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Reminds me....

I want to say there's no way I'd ever give a false confession, but I've seen myself react to false accusations from an angry police officer who just pulled me over, and I'm not so sure.

 

[GYX_Kid]

Used to have that problem.
You're thinking of a persona, and playing the character from your head. The environment is enforcing your thoughts by putting you on the spot, and [your weak Fe (I don't know)] automatically reacts to the pinpointing.
Your thought of "I'm just a person, like everyone else" has to be stronger than the one that the situation is trying to feed you, or the thought just has to not be created by the "accuser" so much.

Instead of thinking about what he's thinking of you, just notice it without having to feel anything...easier said than done

 

[Sensi Star]

people almost always believe me when I'm lying and think I'm lying when I'm trying to tell the truth.

Haha this is so true. I too am an excellent lier, but when under scrutiny the truth comes out wonky.

 

[Dapper Dan]

As an added bonus, I can usually tell when this is happening but can do nothing to stop it. At that point, I just start chuckling and shaking my head, which doesn't help.

Though it should also be said that I'm a terrible liar. I can pull off other kinds of deceit pretty well (lies of omission, implication, etc), but lying to someone's face? Not gonna work.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

As an added bonus, I can usually tell when this is happening but can do nothing to stop it. At that point, I just start chuckling and shaking my head, which doesn't help.

Though it should also be said that I'm a terrible liar. I can pull off other kinds of deceit pretty well (lies of omission, implication, etc), but lying to someone's face? Not gonna work.

The same thing usually happens with me, though practice can allow you to overcome (partially) the natural aversion to avoid telling direct lies.