‘Truth’ and ‘Lies’ Revisited

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many qualitative researchers have had the experience of discovering that their informants had told them lies. This is quite different to those instances where faulty memory, subjective perception, partial or erroneous knowledge, a desire to give the researcher what they think they want, or even where a ‘personal myth’ comes in to play, because a lie is a conscious and deliberate intention to deceive. What should researchers do when they discover that they have been misled? What are the implications for qualitative methodology and its practitioners in the light of the criteria for good practice outlined in the Tooley Report? This article draws on two examples of informants who lied, in order to explore some of the questions and issues that can arise. It suggests, tentatively, that generic criteria may not always be sufficiently sensitive to cope with complexities of social life.