Your encounter with the polygraph process is not unique. Five hours on three questions is absurd. This is their modus operandi and unfortunately, people like you and I can easily fall victim to the fraud and abuse. It’s all too common in this situation for overly self-conscious people to “fail” under duress. Maybe she saw something, but more likely it was nothing and she was just pulling your chain. Emotions such as fear, anger, panic, anguish, humiliation, shock, worry, frustration, resentment, disgust, embarrassment, shame, annoyance, anticipation, distrust – all produce physiologic reactions – which are unique for each individual. They illegitimately classify any physiologic reaction you have as “deception”. To be clear, there is no specific physiologic reaction that can be accurately identified and classified as a “lie”, and any attempts to do so is deceitful. This part is very important – for some people, once the polygrapher tells you that you didn’t “pass” on a certain question, it’s almost impossible to not, not react again when they ask you the question again (and again and again and again). You’ll never be able to get back to the place you were before they questioned your honesty. The butterflies will get to you. I’ve explained it many times like when you’re driving down the road and flashing lights suddenly appear in your rear view mirror. You know you haven’t done anything wrong, but you still get the butterflies. It’s an uncontrollable physiologic reaction. It’s not what you’re thinking about the question that causes your reaction, it’s what you’re thinking about your reactions will be to the question, that cause your reactions. 30 years ago, Congress passed the Employee Polygraph Protection Act because the theory behind the polygraph is based on faulty logic and assumptions. Incredibly, the government was granted an exemption to the Law, and is permitted to continue administering the polygraph. The worst part is that they know it’s not accurate. They’ve even stated that it’s okay to “crack a few eggs to make an omelet.” It’s proven to be biased against honest, self-conscious people like you and I, and the truly bad people can easily pass it, simply by controlling their emotions. (See Ed Snowden, Aldrich Ames, etc.) I’m sorry you had to suffer though this highly abusive process, just know that you are not alone. From what you said that she told you, I expect she chalked you up as another potential insider threat – thus proving her worth and keeping her job. Probably helped her to meet quota too. In the end, you’re better off not working for that agency anyway. They now conduct periodic polygraph screenings of existing employees – you would have had to risk losing your career, your reputation and your sanity, every five years.
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