// Distancing Language//

Distancing language: used to distance oneself from an aversive situation to avoid thinking about the subject; means of self-deception, but when used orally may indicate that a person is lying.

An example of distancing language would be the derogatory terms created to dehumanize the enemy in times of war. It is a lot easier to kill “Japs” or “Gooks”, rather than other soldiers fighting for a cause they believe in.

The euphemistic references we create for death, saying that the deceased “passed away” or “bought the farm” are also examples of distancing language.

In a conversation, it is fairly easy to detect deception by recognizing when someone is distancing themselves from the truth with his or her words.

The use of pronouns changes when someone is lying. Possessive pronouns like ‘my’ will be replaced by words like ‘the’ in the sentence.

The addition of unnecessary words is also a good indication. “We didn’t see her” may change to, “we didn’t really see her”.

Source: You Say More Than You Think (Janine Driver)