The English term "cheating" can have many different meanings. It can describe cheating on an exam, counting cards in a casino, or ...
The English term "cheating" can have many different meanings. It can describe cheating on an exam, counting cards in a casino, or cheating on your partner in a monogamous relationship. In some situations, the term can even have a positive meaning, such as when it's a cheat day during a diet when you can finally munch on cake and chocolate again. But is it really worth “cheating” or are you usually just lying to yourself? Let's take a closer look at different situations.
The white lie: necessary or avoidable?
The work colleague invites you to a beer after work and you really don't feel like it. Instead of ruining the mood and risking an insult, you quickly come up with a little white lie. Unfortunately, the cat is ill or the best friend has just broken up with her partner and needs to be comforted spontaneously. Once the white lie has been uttered, you no longer have to worry about the feelings of the other person and can still cancel. But is that actually necessary?
White lies usually result in the other person not knowing about their own needs and therefore not being able to do better in the future. The colleague we were talking to might then come to the desk regularly and keep asking for a beer together after work. Eventually, the white lies will run out or start sounding ridiculous. In the end, there is a bad atmosphere in the office, because the colleague finds out about the white lies and feels exposed. Is that actually different? We think so!
White lies are often a tool to avoid conflict and awkward situations. However, those who stand by themselves and their own needs often find a diplomatic way, to be honest and still remain polite. A good tip is not to react at first. If there is a request for a meeting, you can z. B. say that you would like to take a look at the appointment calendar and will let you know in the course of the next hour. This creates time to formulate a friendly but firm refusal and does not have to resort directly to a white lie.
Cheating: Exciting Romance or Unforgivable Cheating?
The subject of cheating occupies us to an enormous extent. Numerous films - both romantic comedies and dramas - tell of betrayed partners and failed marriages. There are now thousands of guides on the book market that deal with the question of why we cheat and how we can stop this behavior. Affairs seem to be human nature. A survey from the dating platform Elitepartner collected data from 5,600 people who were either currently or in the past in a monogamous relationship. The information varied depending on age and gender, but on average every third woman and every fourth man cheated. The allure of the unknown seems to be a big factor in this. But there are also problems in the relationship, communication difficulties, and other reasons why people cheat on their partners.
Whether there will ever be a trick to solve this problem is rather questionable. Instead, however, cheaters can question which situations lead to an affair and which feelings they might want to cover up. Do you feel restricted in your own relationship, not sufficiently desired, or even lonely? And do these issues really have to do with the partner or does the key to the problem actually lie within oneself? Anyone who often tends to cheat and has perhaps even spoiled one or the other relationship, as a result, can benefit from therapeutic help in order to get to the bottom of hidden backgrounds and feelings.
Training, work, and Co.: sharp consequences for fraud
While lying in leisure time or cheating in a relationship primarily has emotional consequences, cheating in other areas of life can also have legal consequences or put people in uncomfortable situations. The classic is z. B. cheating on an exam at the university. The pressure during their studies is often so high that students see no other way than to cheat on exams. This seems harmless at first but can lead to a warning or even direct ejection. The surprise is great, but the decision can no longer be reversed.
Some cheating techniques are almost invisible. This applies e.g. B. for counting cards in the casino. Many players want to learn edge sorting, a counting method that is considered to be particularly effective. The design on the backs of the playing cards, which is often irregular, is studied. To many, edge sorting and other forms of card counting sound like an easy way to win big. However, many people are not aware that these methods of gambling are illegal. If one of the dealers finds out, the entire winnings will not be paid out, and you can get a ban from the casinos in the region, which can even be pronounced for life. You can no longer do the hobby.
Many people are not afraid to lie in their own CV. However, this can have unpleasant consequences in the job interview or later in everyday working life. e.g. For example, if you say you speak a foreign language fluently, you should be prepared to be tested for it in the interview. Suddenly the other person continues the conversation in English and the applicant falls into a state of shock. The job interview is over because if you lie at the beginning, you will rarely be hired. Even with your own hobbies, you shouldn't invent unusual sports or passions in order to appear more interesting. Maybe the interviewer discovers a shared enthusiasm and suddenly starts asking unexpected questions. Here you should simply stand by yourself and adapt your CV to real life. You can often still get jobs that you would not have expected.
Cheating, cheating, white lies, and cheating - all of this can be summed up in English under the term "cheating". If you look at the individual situations in detail, it quickly becomes clear: It's almost never worth it. Lying often becomes an evasive mechanism for us when we are in an uncomfortable situation, no longer feel comfortable in a relationship, feel inferior at work, or are simply overwhelmed. Sometimes there is no other choice and we make mistakes - and that's okay! Nevertheless, we should question whether "cheating" is really always the easiest way to interact with our environment.