"In discussing all these aggressive and submissive behaviour patterns, it has been assumed that the individuals concerned have been ‘telling the truth’ and have not been consciously and deliberately modifying their actions to achieve special ends. We ‘lie’ more with our words than our other communication signals, but even so the phenomenon cannot be overlooked entirely. It is extremely difficult to ‘utter’ untruths with the kind of behaviour patterns we have been discussing, but not impossible. As I have already mentioned, when parents adopt this procedure towards their young children, it usually fails much more drastically than they realize. Between adults, however, who are much preoccupied with the verbalized information content of the social interactions, it can be more successful. Unfortunately for the behaviour-liar, he typically lies only with certain selected elements of his total signalling system. Others, which he is not aware of, give the game away."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Science authorsNon-fiction authors from EnglandUniversity of Oxford facultyPainters from EnglandZoologists from England
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Chapter 5, "Fighting" (p. 140)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Desmond_Morris
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Desmond Morris
englischer Zoologe, Verhaltensforscher, Publizist und Künstler
43 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Desmond Morris →
Related Quotes
"Unfortunately, because we are so powerful and so successful when compared with other animals, we find the contemplati…"
"Optimism is expressed by some who feel that since we have evolved a high level of intelligence and a strong inventive…"
"[On The Naked Ape] His consistent failure to understand the impact of patriarchy and female repression bordered on th…"
"I am a zoologist and the naked ape is an animal. He is therefore fair game for my pen and I refuse to avoid him any l…"
"No matter how old we become, we can still call them 'Holy Mother' or 'Father' and put a child-like trust in them (or …"
"The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful be…"
"Under normal conditions, in their natural habitats, wild animals do not mutilate themselves, masturbate, attack their…"
"I discovered long ago that, if you write a book about cats or dogs, everybody loves you, but if you dare to write a b…"
"Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs."
"I enjoy laughter and good living and believe life is like a very short visit to a toyshop between birth and death."