Why Did Heidi Jones, WABC Meteorologist, Fabricate Stalking Story?

The news is out today that Heidi Jones admitted to the police that her allegations of attempted rape in Central Park were false. What would motivate someone with a successful, bright future to put their career and reputation in jeopardy with such an outrageous lie?

Heidi Jones' Fabricated Story

Heidi Jones, meteorologist for WABC in New York, is officially off the air, after admitting to New York Police that she fabricated her story. She had claimed being stalked and approached twice by the same Hispanic male. The first encounter had supposedly occurred during a September jog in Central Park, when he had allegedly grabbed her, attempting rape, and the second occurrence was near her home in November. Police thought the story suspicious because both incidents weren't reported until two months later.

According to coverage on the Today Show, police felt even more skeptical of Heidi's story when their investigation turned up Facebook comments during the timeframe of the "incidents" inconsistent with her described emotional status. Two days after the September "attack" she wrote, "Good day. How was yours?" In November, after the "threat" near her home, she cheerfully wrote, "Here is your turkey forecast! Gobble, gobble!"

When investigators confronted her, Heidi admitted the stories were false. When news broke, WABC removed her from from the air, and Jones now faces misdemeanor charges that could include jail time and fines.

Do Normal People Lie?

MSNBC.com has a video of an interview on their Health Today page from the Today Show with Katie Couric and Dr. Gail Saltz, psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital. When asked why people lie, Dr. Saltz explained that lying is believed to be a survival impulse that is ages-old. She stated that telling "white lies", which usually protect someone else, are normal behavior in healthy people. But when a lie is fabricated, or a truth omitted, for the liar's gain without conscience for harming another person, it indicates an abnormal tendency. She advises parents to instill honesty in their children by telling them that no matter what they might have done wrong, it will never be worse than the act of lying about it.

The Difference between Pathological and Compulsive Lying

There are two types of lying that are often confused, pathological and compulsive. While similar in some ways, there is a difference. One involves behavior that harms someone else and the other is habitual. Not knowing Heidi's past, its hard to say if she has a tendancy toward chronic lying, but her behvior indicates abnormal judgement.

Pathological Liars:

An article on the University of Southern California website describes a pathological liar as someone who lies habitually, cheats and manipulates others. In Usha Sutliff's article, "Liars' Brains Wired Differently" she writes about a USC study involving 108 volunteers. The study showed that brains of pathological liars actually have structural abnormalities, being comprised of 25.7% more "white matter" and 14.2% less "gray matter" than normal. Researchers surmise that all that extra prefrontal white matter creates the bonus "wiring" liars need to weave complicated tales of deceit, giving them an upper hand when lying. Additionally, with less gray matter, which equates to less conscience, a pathological liar is ill-equipped to suppress the lie his white matter is concocting!

Sutliff quotes Adrian Raine, a psychology professor at USC, as stating, "Pathological liars can't always tell truth from falsehood and contradict themselves in an interview. They are manipulative and they admit they prey on people. They are very brazen in terms of their manner, but very cool when talking about this."

Compulsive Liars:

According to the Truth about Deception website, both a compulsive liar and a pathological liar (also referred to as a sociopath) lie out of habit. The compulsive liar, however, lies out of discomfort in telling the real truth, and develops his pattern of lying early in his childhood due to environmental issues that made it seem necessary to do so. When comparing traits, the Truth about Deception website explains further, "For the most part, compulsive liars are not overly manipulative and cunning (unlike sociopaths), rather they simply lie out of habit - an automatic response which is hard to break and one that takes its toll on a relationship."

The police reported that when Heidi confessed, she admitted she was looking for sympathy due to "relationship" issues. But the real questions surrounding Heidi Jones' story are still to be discovered. Why would a successful local television personality, risk her future career and possible criminal charges in such a bizarre manner? Why would she concoct such an unsavory story of violence to gain sympathy? Can she salvage her reputation enough to ever work in the media again?

In time, we will learn of the fallout from Heidi's actions. It's hard not to wonder if this is an isolated incident in her personality or if real trouble lurks within Jones' "white matter". Everyone deserves a pass now and then when reacting poorly to life's stressors. But in this case, the final question is, How far might Heidi Jones have taken this? Would she have gone to the point of identifying an innocent Hispanic man in a lineup for a dose of sympathy?

Hopefully, since her conscience took over before her false tale of terror went too far, Heidi Jones' will pay her dues, and get the counseling she needs to get her life back on track. This was a hard way for her to learn the importance of telling the truth.

References:

The Washington Post "This just in: NYC meteorologist Heidi Jones accused of false report; DMX back to prison"

University of Southern California, USC News, "Liars' Brains Wired Differently"

Truth about Deception, "What is the Difference Between a Sociopath, a Compulsive, a Pathological, a Chronic, and a Habitual Liar?"

Video on Today Health,MSNBC - "Why people lie - and how to tell if they are"