Interpersonal Deception Theory (IDT) proposes that deception is an interactive process between individuals rather than something determined solely by the deceiver. According to the theory, people are generally poor at detecting deception. IDT outlines common deception practices such as falsification, concealment, and equivocation. It also discusses how deceivers may exhibit unintentional nonverbal cues or "leakage" due to arousal, guilt, or cognitive overload, but that these cues are not always reliable indicators of deception. Receivers of potential deception, meanwhile, experience a dilemma in balancing their expectations of honesty with any suspicions, and indirect forms of probing a deceiver's truthfulness have uncertain value.

1. INTERPERSONAL DECEPTION THEORY IDT