Understanding the psychology of deception and its treatment

There are emerging efforts to better understand deception within an online environment. Research has considered deception and deceptive practices across many disciplines, including computer science, organisational controls, criminology, and more recently cyberpsychology. The latter has produced interesting works on ‘scam compliance’ over the last two decades.

Traditional approaches to the study of deception in psychology have focused on visual cues and other non-verbal indicators of lying. The ubiquitous nature of the online environment today, these foundational pieces present opportunities to advance new theories of deception, and critically, an understanding of the psychological impacts of such practice on victims. Put simply, a contemporary development and application of a psychological theory of deception is lacking. With it, comes deficiencies on the most appropriate psychological treatments for victims of scams. Research to date has tended to favour a reliance on experimental research, national crime studies and university participants. An understanding of the psychology of deception and its effects within a clinical setting is largely absent.

IDCARE is prioritising this research topic in seeking to support efforts that address one or more of the following questions:

RP6.1 What are the social, emotional, cognitive and other situational influences on a person’s susceptibility to deception?

RP6.2 How does susceptibility to deception change in relation to a person’s identified gender, age, online usage, geographic location, family or other emotional support structures, employment type and status or other socio-demographic attributes if at all?

RP6.3 What are the short and long-term effects on someone’s mental health and well-being after being deceived? Does the nature of the deception and its non-behavioural impacts affect a person’s mental health and well-being? Are victims of crimes of deception more prone to presenting indicators of depression and anxiety?

RP6.4 What are the behavioural treatments for a person that experiences criminal deception? What are they seeking to treat? What treatments have enduring benefits?

RP6.5 What can response system stakeholders, such as breached organisations, do to prevent and respond to the psychological effects of personal information compromise?

RP6.6 How does the response to crimes of deception impact a victim’s mental health and well-being?

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New PhD research addressing RP6 recently funded by IDCARE

Project title:

The Psychology of Deception: Risk factors, Impacts and Treatments

‍Project overview:

This project aims to deepen the understanding of the psychological factors influencing vulnerability to online deception, assess the mental health impacts on victims, and evaluate treatment effectiveness. Through interviews with IDCARE clients, this research will provide insights into the long-term effects of cybercrime on well-being and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of victim experience.

Why the research is important:

In an era where cyber deception continues to evolve and poses significant threats to individuals' psychological and financial security, this research is crucial for developing targeted interventions and support mechanisms. Research to date has predominantly relied on experimental studies involving university participants and national crime statistics, leaving significant gaps in understanding the psychology of deception and its direct effects on victims in clinical contexts. This study aims to unravel the intricate experiences of victims, filling these gaps by investigating the nuanced psychological impacts and their implications for crafting effective treatment strategies.

How will this research benefit community resilience and specialist treatments?

Through the development of a comprehensive psychological model of online deception, this research will not only enhance specialist treatments and support services but also inform effective scam prevention strategies for community education. By improving diagnostic clarity and understanding the diverse impacts of cybercrime on victims' mental health, the findings of this research will equip mental health specialists with enhanced intervention tools to mitigate the emotional and psychological toll of cyber deception, and bolster community resilience through an informed and responsive support network for victims.