I've never been subjected to a polygraph examination and hope I'll never be but after finding this site a few days ago I've spent an unhealthy amount of time fantasizing about scenarios where I'm forced to take a lie detector test and fail it in spite of answering all the questions truthfully. I imagine that, in my stupidity, I'll feel nervous when asked questions about crimes or intent to commit crimes and the polygrapher will interpret that nervousness as a sign of dishonesty. I then imagine that the polygrapher won't believe me when I attempt to prove my innocence. I imagine that he will become very upset and yell at me and psychologically break me until I make a false confession in order to stop the torture. I understand that those angry interrogator drills are an act and a psychological game full of bluffs and shots in the dark, but I still worry that the interrogator will be such a good actor that I won't trust my knowledge and succumb under his pressure.
I also fantasize about scenarios where I am accused of a crime I didn't commit and the only way to prove my innocence is to pass a lie detector test. (I understand that lie detector tests lack scientific validity and therefore don't prove the truthfulness or falsity of anything, but since the public at large believe in those things it might be the only way to "prove" my innocence.) The problem with that fantasy is that it involves scenarios where I take the lie detector test, answer all the questions truthfully (even embarrassing control questions about personal things that no human being wants to answer honestly), but in my anxiety, stupidity or negative impression I made on the polygrapher, I fail the test. The court wouldn't accept those "incriminating" results as evidence because they understand that polygraph examinations lack scientific validity, but the public at large would condemn me of a crime I did not commit. With a good lawyer I might be able to stay out of prison and avoid a criminal record, but my reputation would be ruined, it would be nearly impossible for me to find suitable employment, and I'd live the rest of my life dwelling on this traumatic experience.
After finding this website I know with certainty that I will never apply for a job with a government agency, a law enforcement agency, or a defense contractor. I don't think I would have gone that far into the hiring process, anyway, but even if I passed all the initial rounds of interviews, there would still have been a good chance (assuming that what I've read on this site is correct) that I'd have failed the polygraph test. Even if I managed to pass the test I would first need to somehow defeat the interrogator by proving to him that his accusations against me are all false. I don't think that would be possible because by the time the interrogator begins the process of coercing the interviewee into making a confession the interviewee already failed the test and all the interrogator wants is to bolster his personal credentials by means of increasing the total number of confessions he has extracted.
I fantasize about scenarios where I am innocent, refuse to take a polygraph test, and all the people passing judgement conclude that my refusal to take the test means that I am not innocent. But my refusal to take the test could also mean that I don't want to risk ending up with a false positive result that will be impossible to refute. But since most people seem to lack the mental capacity to understand something as simple as that, it must be that I refused to take the test because I knew I was dishonest and couldn't have possibly passed the test. That conclusion would have been twice mistaken because, if I'm to believe what I've read on this site, it is possible to pass a lie detector test even if you are lying. But since I am not concerned about whether or not I can lie and pass a lie detector test, but rather, whether I can tell the truth and have the machine and the operator of the machine accurately assess the truthfulness of my answers, I content myself with entertaining only the hypothetical scenario where I challenge only the first part of their conclusion.
There is also the fantasy where I tell the truth, fail the polygraph test, the interrogator accuses me of dishonesty, and I file a defamation lawsuit against the interrogator and the agency responsible for carrying out the interrogation. My reputation is ruined, the case dismissed, and I could go on and on describing these fantasies but I think that's enough.
Does anyone else feel like this site is helping them losing their mind?
Lose my mind? No, I was never quite at that point, but I experienced something similar right before I was set to take my first for the FBI. I was excited, the more I read though, the more I found places saying "don't overthink it" or "don't do research, just relax". So I stopped, then when I tested, I failed, despite being completely honest, during the whole examination I was steadfast in that I couldn't understand why I was failing certain questions.
Few weeks later, I was told I failed. I was an "open book" and truthful, I was also completely clean but was accused of some heinous things, so why then did I fail? Naturally then I started reviewing all polygraph related websites, both pro and anti, to discover why I failed. I then read the polygraph training manuals. The test is a joke, but also a mind game.
The machine tests simply your blood pressure, sweaty hands, breathing, and your pulse. That's it, it's like getting a physical at the doctor's office. The difference is that using that information, the polygrapher really guesses using that information, and his gut whether you're lying. Scientific, right? The polygraphers will often twist a lack of recollection into an admission through some lawyering. I suggest you watch the Penn and Teller "Bullshit" episode to give you a good summary of what happens.
That said, to echo so many others, it is what it is. I personally believe it is a danger to national security because it amount to testing something that can be standardized and bad apples still can get through. Standardized testing is a basic tenant of science. So it doesn't really do anything other than give an "appearance" to outsiders that the person is trustworthy. Blame Hollywood and politicians for that image.
But if you want to work for government, don't let it dissuade you. The FBI's polygraph is especially notorious because they fail applicants solely on a bad poly, many agencies will only use it as a supplement to a background and won't drop someone from consideration solely because of a bad poly session. Then other agencies refuse to even use the polygraph, despite handling information of the same sensitivity as the FBI. The other problem with the FBI is that they record a failed poly with them in your file. Your FBI file is one of the first things looked at during a background investigation, and to some security adjudicators, a failed FBI poly may give them pause.
I feel confident that within my life or even the next 15 years, its use will disappear as a screening device, but until then, just read about, people are afraid of things they don't understand.
Lose My Mind,
I think it is a good idea that you never apply for a law enforcement position. You are too messed up in the head. Maybe you should try to write fantasy fiction instead.
Quote from: Polypro_Pauline on Jul 17, 2010, 11:00 PMLose My Mind,
I think it is a good idea that you never apply for a law enforcement position. You are too messed up in the head. Maybe you should try to write fantasy fiction instead.
Really? Are you one of those apologists who believe (or rather, want people to believe) that the polygraph is a legitimate scientific instrument and not a sham?
lose my mind
may be yes may be no :(