Honest People: Their 12 Distinctive Characteristics
Honesty is a quality valued positively by society, although sometimes it can entail ways of acting contrary to what is socially established or what is expected.
Honest people are individuals who try to act according to their thoughts and beliefs, defending their opinions and fighting for what they believe. Lying causes them great dissonance and discomfort, so they prefer to tell the truth, even though it can sometimes be difficult to communicate. They try to establish relationships of respect and trust and avoid or end any relationship in which they are not comfortable, rather than being dishonest with the other person.
Likewise, they act as models and inspire those around them to act accordingly. They are people who tend to comply with established laws and regulations, as well as to carry out the commitments or promises made.
In this article We will talk about honesty and the characteristics of honest people through traits and ways of behaving that, if we know them, help us identify them.
Honesty is understood as a moral value, that is, as a behavior that is shown given the social relationship established by the subjects and that is valued positively by society as a whole.
Thus, we will consider honest people to be subjects who are capable of maintaining an interpersonal relationship of trust, sincerity and based on mutual respect, who can really express what they feel and act in accordance with these thoughts, despite not being what society expects. .
This honesty will be exercised both internally and externally, in other words, the subject will act honestly and will really do it thinking that it is the best way to do it. Therefore, we see a double assessment, honesty, as we have said, is a trait valued as positive, since, on the contrary, lying is considered a negative behavior, but sometimes being honest and saying or acting as one believes appropriate can generate bad opinions in others. of population if it is not what was expected or what was established as adequate.
Taking into account how honesty is defined, we will understand that honest people are subjects who say, what they think, who act according to what they think or believe and who, therefore, tend not to lie or deceive. We will say then that they express the truth, understood not as reality, but as their own truth, what they really think
Thus, there are some characteristics, behaviors, that can help us identify if a person is honest, if they normally say what they think. Below we will mention some of the most notable traits of honest people.
1. Their different expressions coincide
We will see how their behavior, their language, their thinking and their emotional state as a cohesive whole; They do not contradict each other. Thus, we observe that these subjects are honest in their different expressions, and that they all go in the same direction. This coherence and lack of contradiction also helps to consider that the individual is telling the truth what he really thinks.
2. They don’t do anything they don’t like
Despite being considered a positive trait at a social level, we see that Sometimes honesty can break with what is socially correct or established Sometimes it is considered correct to act out of commitment, that is, to carry out an action that we really do not want to do, we do not feel like doing it, but we are “forced” to do it to look good.
3. They will not stay in a relationship they do not want to be in
Related to the previous point, in the same way that they will not do anything that they do not feel like doing, They will not continue with a relationship in which they are not really comfortable, both romantic and friendship relationships. If honest subjects perceive that the relationship no longer fulfills them, even if there is no apparent reason, they will prefer to be honest with the other person and with themselves and end the bond.
4. They don’t tell lies and they don’t accept them either.
As we have already seen, honest people do not like to tell lies, but they also do not like to expose themselves to them. The discomfort generated by lying is such that they will not try to deceive other people, much less themselves. In addition, They will not accept that someone lies to them, since it really is a very important trait for them; These kinds of problems can mean the end of a friendship or relationship.
By acting according to what they think and believe, they prevent cognitive dissonance from appearing in them that would cause discomfort and reduce the probability of mental unrest arising. The subject is calm with his way of behaving since, despite not always being the appropriate or most socially accepted, they respect what they really think or believe about themselves.
In the end, acting contrary to what we want or feel like doing, even if the goal is not to harm another person, produces in us discomfort and a feeling of non-conformity with how we have behaved, thus having an impact on our own state.
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6. They have real relationships
The discomfort that the lack of honesty generates will make them, as we have already said, maintain the relationships with which they are really comfortable and try to take care of them. being sincere, respectful and valuing trust as one of the primary characteristics given that, in the same way, they will not lie, they will ask the same of their friends or partners.
In this way, they are not people who have many friendships or are linked to many social relationships, but rather they prefer to have few, but quality, true bonds in which both members are sincere and feel satisfied.
Related article: “The 3 differences between sincerity and honesty”
7. They fulfill their commitments
The need they show to maintain consistency between what they say and what they do results in a greater probability that they will fulfill their commitments. In this way, the relevant point, or what they consider most important, is not the consequences generated by fulfilling the commitment or promise, but the fact of fulfilling it, which means being honest with what they said and promised. This behavior increases their favorable evaluation at a social level, since they do what they say they will do, even if the ultimate purpose is to avoid their own discomfort.
Given the importance they give to honesty, It will be very difficult for people around them to be able to include them and convince them to engage in antisocial behavior, against their beliefs or values, that is, acting dishonestly. Thus, although the behavior may benefit them in certain aspects, they will not participate in any action that involves lying. In this way, they will be subject to the tendency to comply with established regulations and laws.
9. They try to ensure that their environment is also honest
We have already mentioned, they do not lie nor accept that those around them lie, therefore valuing dishonesty as a very negative trait, which is why they will try to teach, to set an example, for those around them so that they can be more honest. They will act as role models for people that they know, instigating and contributing to them acting in a similar way to them, avoiding lies, and making their thoughts and behavior coincide.
Linked to the previous point, her performance as a model and her persistently honest attitude, will serve as inspiration to the subjects around you who will want to imitate their behavior and also be honest, acting according to their thoughts and beliefs, defending their opinions with respect or not trying to deceive or lie.
11. They directly defend what they believe in
They will not hesitate to defend their opinion and defend it, acting according to their beliefs and being sincere with what they express. They will be people committed to their beliefs and persistent in the fight, always acting accordingly and not showing double intentions or contradictory behaviors. It should be noted that being sincere and defending what you think does not mean disrespect we can communicate our opinion assertively, presenting it appropriately.
12. They are not afraid to tell the truth
Sometimes it often happens that we stop acting as we would like, to say what we think, for fear of what others will say or think. This is not the case with honest people, who They are not afraid to express what they believe or feel But what causes them fear is not telling the truth and betraying themselves. We must keep in mind that telling the truth or stating what we think is not bad as long as we do it appropriately, with respect and trying not to harm the other person.
