sprint2005 wrote on Oct 12
th, 2005 at 11:41pm:
I'm going into my third CIA Poly and haven’t talked about oral sex I paid for on 3 occasions...obviously I haven’t passed the first 2...should I admit it now and say I was embarrassed to talk about it/didn't think it was an issue. It was never really a direct question but I'm assuming that it's what is on my mind that is causing me to fail it...there is nothing else that I've done that could be an issue other than cheating on my girlfriend that I've admitted to?
Will doing so cause more harm or is it the right thing to do?
It is never in an applicant's self-interest to disclose derogatory information about him- or herself that would not be discovered in the course of a background investigation. Applicants do, however, have an ethical obligation to answer relevant questions truthfully. If the matter you mention is not actually responsive to any of the relevant questions, you have no ethical obligation to divulge it and would probably be wise not to.
You are wrong to assume that it is necessarily something on your mind that is causing you to "fail." Polygraphy has absolutely
no scientific basis, and the polygraph cannot read your mind. Virtually
everyone who sits for the CIA pre-employment polygraph is initially accused of deception and/or withholding information, badgered for admissions, and brought back for one or more "re-tests." The whole process is a massive bluff to get potentially disqualifying admissions.
Telling the truth is no guarantee that you'll pass, as you've already learned by experience. Providing unasked for information is no guarantee that you'll pass, either. But what you can be sure of is that any admissions you make will become a matter of permanent record, and despite any guarantees of confidentiality you may have received, may be disclosed to other federal agencies. (See the message thread,
CIA Released My Sexual History.)
For related informed commentary, see
Melissa Boyle Mahle on CIA Polygraph Policy. See also the CIA-related statements on the
Personal Statements page. You'll also find relevant discussion of the CIA's use of polygraphy, as well as an exposition of the probable-lie "control question test" technique used by the CIA and many other agencies for pre-employment polygraph screening, in
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.