Surrounded by Liars

(and why the DISC assessment sharpens your judgement)

Surrounded by Liars is a book about how truth is bent, filtered, and selectively presented, often without dramatic intent, and sometimes without conscious awareness.

About the book

Surrounded by Liars is a book about how truth is bent, filtered, and selectively presented, often without dramatic intent, and sometimes without conscious awareness.

The book explores patterns of omission, exaggeration, timing, framing, and strategic silence. In everyday life: at work, in relationships, and in situations where trust is assumed rather than examined.

But people don’t deceive randomly. They adapt their message to the person in front of them. Some people are deceived because they want harmony. Others because they value optimism.
Some because they trust systems and logic. Others because they respect confidence and decisiveness.

The four colours shape how deception lands.

Reds individuals may accept confident assertions and move on too quickly.
Yellows individuals often trust tone, enthusiasm, and social cues.
Greens individuals give the benefit of the doubt, sometimes long past the warning signs.
Blues individuals may trust data and structure, even when the story behind it is flawed.

The book explains behavioural tells, inconsistencies, and the psychology behind deception.
What it though cannot fully answer is a more uncomfortable question: Why do certain lies feel so convincing to you?

Deception is not only external. It interacts with our own preferences, assumptions, and blind spots. This is where the DISC assessment adds critical depth.

By clarifying your behavioural profile, the assessment helps you:

  • understand which forms of deception you are most likely to overlook
  • recognise how your strengths can be exploited through selective truth
  • and adjust how you evaluate information without becoming cynical or distrustful

The goal is not suspicion. It is clarity.

Read the book to understand how deception works.
Then take the DISC test to understand how it works on you.

Learn more about DISCGet the DISC test now
Founder of the Idiot-verse

Meet Thomas Erikson

Thomas Erikson is an internationally recognized behaviourist, keynote speaker, and the author behind the Surrounded by series.

Read more about Thomas
DISC

Take the DISC Assessment

Understand how you respond to the people around you, and how they respond to you.

You will receive a detailed 20-page report that will reflect your balance across the four DISC types – Dominance, Influence, Stability and Compliance. Or, the four colours red, yellow, green and blue – if you prefer those.

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International editions of the book Surrounded by Liars

Surrounded by Liars has been or will be published in the following languages.

Arabic

Bulgarian

Surrounded by Liars in Bulgarian

Croatian

Dutch

Omringd door leugenaars

English (UK)

Surrounded by Liars

English (US)

Surrounded by Liars (US)

Estonian

Finnish

Surrounded by Liars in Finnish

German

Alles Lügner in German

Greek

Hebrew

Surrounded by Liars in Hebrew

Italian

Norwegian

Polish

 Otoczeni przez kłamców

Portuguese

Rodeado de Mentirosos in Portuguese

Romanian

Slovak

Spanish

Rodeados de Mentirosos in Spanish

Swedish

Omgiven av lögnare