Deception Essay -- Communication, Witholding Information

Deception exists in media, among prestigious universities, and perhaps most commonly in the workplace. According to Dunleavy (2010), reasons for deception in the workplace include: competitiveness, conflict, or a response to a supervisor or fellow employee (p. 241). Dunleavy develops hypotheses’, conducts experiments, and collects data to determine what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behavior as it applies to deception in the workplace. Ultimately, the reason for deceiving and the method in which one deceives, through either withholding (omission) or distortion (commission), directly effects the perception of coworkers’ credibility, power, and trustworthiness (Dunleavy, p.241). This article focuses on two different approaches of deception: withholding information versus distorting information, and how that may or may not change employees’ perception of the deceiver (Dunleavy, p.239). Dunleavy defines deception as â€Å"the conscious attempt to create or perpetuate false impressions among other communicators† (Dunleavy, p.240). Three hypotheses’ are presented in the article...