The 3 differences between sincerity and honesty

Sincerity and honesty are two terms that tend to be used as if they were synonyms; On the other hand, if we make an adequate analysis of both, we can verify that although in certain contexts that might be related actually differ quite a bit in their meaning and use.

Among the differences between sincerity and honesty, it is worth highlighting the different characteristics of the sincere people and honest people, although they are not incompatible since a person can possess both virtues. On the other hand, both concepts also differ in regard to the meaning of truth and in their different praxis.

In this article we will talk about the differences between sincerity and honesty in personal relationships.

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What does sincerity consist of?

The word sincerity, from the Latin sincerĭtas, -ātis, derived from sincērus 'intact, pure', 'sincere', and consists of that respect that some people show towards the truth, showing it in their feelings, thoughts, communications and actions, against any pretense or lie, thus demonstrating his simplicity and frankness, being a trait of his personality.

It should also be noted that sincerity can go beyond the fact of always telling the truth, since it can be seen as an attitude that has repercussions on behavior patterns of people. sincere people and also tends to influence psychological well-being, since when a person is sincere they usually feel better about themselves, contrary to what could happen if lied.

However, sincerity could cause certain inconveniences for people in social relationships because in certain cases in which the other person is not prepared to hear the truth, sincerity could cause discomfort; although if things are said assertively and with tact, perhaps a negative reaction could be prevented when hearing the truth. On the other hand, sincerity, if it does not go hand in hand with empathy, could trigger a series of behaviors and ways of communicating with cruelty, thus being able to hurt others.

The main characteristics of sincere people are these:

• Honest opinion: honest people tend to always express their opinion to the face, without turning their backs.
• Reliable: Sincere people often keep their promises, showing that they can be trusted.
• They show their admiration: sincere people have no shame in showing their admiration towards other people.
• Altruistic: sincere people tend to offer their help to others without expecting something in return.
• Respectful: sincere people tend to show respect towards others equally.
• Self-sufficient: a sincere person does not seek to please others.
• Good self-esteem: sincere people usually have a high enough self-esteem.
• Humble: a sincere person does not usually boast of her achievements.

Conversely, a hypocritical person will have a tendency to respect only those people who have a certain power or a certain level of status; In addition, they tend to criticize others quite frequently, even if they do not say it to their faces. On the other hand, hypocritical people usually only help when they believe they will get something in return and tend to strive to cause a good image.

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What does honesty consist of?

The word honesty, from the Latin honestĭtas, -ātis, and consists of behave and communicate openly, reasonably and being correct. In addition, honesty is a way of acting that goes hand in hand with a series of intrinsic values ​​of the honest person.

Of course, to consider that a person is really honest, your thoughts, feelings and actions should be consistent with each other, so that the person would be fair and upright; in this way that person will also have values ​​that are in accordance with the norms of the community in which he lives.

In addition, honest people tend to behave and express themselves in a loyal and sincere way, based on a series of moral principles that are considered valid in a universal way, thus avoiding carrying out behavior or expressing themselves in a reprehensible way towards the the rest.

Therefore, we could say that honesty is a quality of some people that is closely related to the principles of truth and justice.

On the other hand, the most notable characteristics of honest people are the following:

• Good level of self-esteem: honest people, like sincere people, have good self-esteem.
• Use of direct language: honest people tend to express themselves clearly and directly, without detours.
• Trust: honest people tend to show trust in others; besides being trustworthy people.
• Coherent: honest people behave in a way that is consistent with what they express and with their values.

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Differences between sincerity and honesty

We could say that the differences between sincerity and honesty are that sincerity is related to that predisposition that some people have towards transparency in their actions and communications, while honesty is more aligned with a sense of justice. On the other hand, for sincere people the truth is seen as a reality without bias or filters and for honest people it would be a virtue shared with others.

By last, sincerity requires acting and communicating things as they are, even if they are unwanted for the person who receives them, while honesty requires acting and communicating in accordance with one's own system of values.

Below we will see in more detail some of the main differences between sincerity and honesty in order to that we can distinguish them more easily so that we can use them appropriately in their context correspondent.

1. Differences of both concepts regarding the sense of truth

Among the differences between sincerity and honesty, it is worth mentioning the different sense of truth related to each of these concepts, and it is that in the case of honest people, truth is considered a shared virtue, since in these cases their actions and their way of communicating move through the sense of justice, so they always keep it in mind.

On the other hand, for sincere people the sense of truth is considered as the opposite of falsehood, so they try to behave and communicate with others avoiding deception, without intentionally using any filter or distortion, since for them it is important explain and show things as they really are and not in a biased way to please others or as they would like it to be from their point of view of sight; therefore, sincere people try to tell the truth as objectively as possible.

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2. different praxis

Another of the differences between sincerity and honesty is the fact that both concepts differ notably in terms of their meaning and also their praxis, since honesty refers to the integrity of a person to do what is right without affecting the interests of others according to her own value system.

On the other hand, sincerity refers to the expression of a direct and frank person when saying what he feels, what he sees and what he thinks, being of thus considered as an authentic person by communicating her point of view on things without trying to condition the people with whom she meets. communicate.

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3. Honesty encompasses sincerity

Finally, among the differences between sincerity and honesty, it should be noted that the concept of honesty encompasses that of sincerity; in other words, an honest person must act with sincerity, although this does not mean that both concepts are equivalent, as we have been able to verify in the previous sections of this Article.

However, we could say that there is quite a relationship between the two, and that could be the reason why both words are often used interchangeably, although we hope that these examples have been able to help us to differentiate them and use each one in the appropriate context.