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: Directly misrepresenting the facts, often through bold-faced lies.
A particularly complex form is , where an individual simultaneously acts as both the deceiver and the deceived. Philosophers often view this as a paradox; for a trick to work, the victim usually cannot know how it functions, yet in self-deception, one must believe and disbelieve the same proposition at once. This often serves as a psychological defense mechanism to avoid painful truths or to maintain a desired self-image. Deception in Literature Deceived
Literature frequently uses deception as a central theme to drive conflict and reveal character flaws: : Directly misrepresenting the facts