Marriage Counseling and Lie Detection

Robinson believes lie detection should be used to confirm or disprove information given by the deceptive spouse, not necessarily to bring out new truth.

By Brian Del Rosario, Marketing —

Lie detectors are commonly recognized for their great ability to identify lies in criminals, but there is another growing use of these lie detectors. Recent news articles and online forums suggest that the use of lie detection in marriage counseling is becoming more common. In this setting, some marriage counselors view polygraph examinations as a way to help provide convincing evidence to establish whether a spouse is being completely honest.

Rebuilding Trust in Marriages

A survey on marriage conducted by the National Fatherhood Initiative in 2005, revealed that fifty-five percent of the respondents who had been divorced viewed infidelity as a strong factor to their divorcement. Deception and distrust is at the core of infidelity in all forms. It is for that reason that some marriage counselors have suggested the use of polygraph examinations.

Brad Robinson, a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, in his marriage blog, described the use of polygraph examinations in marriage counseling as a way to rebuild the trust that is lost when infidelity occurs in a marriage. “Sometimes we recommend that the betrayer should take a polygraph also known as a ‘lie detector test’,” Robinson said. “This is another way to help the betrayed spouse feel at ease with the truth the betrayer is telling them. If the betrayer is withholding parts of the truth the polygraph will help bring that to light.”

Experience Closure and Rebuild Trust

Even after full disclosure of an affair to a spouse has been given, often an environment of distrust still exists. Spouses may worry that not all has been disclosed. The recommendation from Robinson can help spouses rebuild trust by providing convincing evidence by either backing the disclosure given or suggesting that there is more being withheld. Robinson believes lie detection should be used to confirm or disprove information given by the deceptive spouse, not necessarily to bring out new truth. “We recommend having a ‘vomit session’ where the complete truth comes out, there is resolution, and then take the polygraph test to help the betrayer experience closure and to truly rebuild trust,” said Robinson.

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Photo courtesy of Spinster Cardigan.