Honest people: their 12 distinctive characteristics
Honesty is a quality positively valued by society, although it can sometimes lead to 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, although 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, before being dishonest with the other person.
They also act as role models and inspire those around them to act accordingly. They are people who tend to comply with the 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, help us to identify them.
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What is honesty?
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 the whole of society.
Thus, we will consider honest people those subjects who are capable of maintaining an interpersonal relationship of trust, sincerity and based on in mutual respect, that they can really express what they feel and act according to these thoughts, despite not being what the community expects. society.
This honesty will be exercised both internally and externally, in other words, the subject will act honestly and will really do so 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 thinks appropriate can generate bad opinions in the rest of the population if it is not what was expected or established as suitable.
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Characteristics of honest people
Taking into account how honesty is defined, we will understand that honest people are subjects who they say, what they think, that they act according to what they think or believe and that, therefore, they tend not to lie or scam. We will therefore say that they express the truth, understood not as reality, but as their own truth, what they really think.
So there are some characteristics, behaviors, that can help us identify if a person is honest, if they normally say what they think. Next we will mention some of the most remarkable traits of honest people.
1. Their different expressions coincide
We will see how his behavior, his language, his thought and his 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 tells the truth.what you really think.
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2. They don't do anything they don't like
Despite being considered a positive trait at the social level, we see that sometimes honesty can break with what is socially correct or established. Sometimes it is valued as 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 it, but we are "forced" to do it to look good.
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3. They won't stay in a relationship they don't 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 really not comfortableboth sentimental 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 of union.
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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. Such is the discomfort generated by lying 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 spell the end of a friendship or relationship.
5. They are mentally calm
By acting on what they think and believe, they prevent cognitive dissonance from appearing in them that would cause them discomfort and reduce the likelihood of mental restlessness arising. The subject is calm with his behavior, since, despite not always being the most appropriate or socially accepted, they respect what they really think or think of themselves.
In the end, acting contrary to what we want or want to do, even if the purpose is not to harm another person, produces in us a discomfort and a feeling of non-conformity with how we have behaved, thus affecting our own state.
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6. They have real relationships
The discomfort generated by the lack of honesty will, as we have already said, make them maintain relationships with those they are really comfortable with and try to take care of them. being sincere, respectful and valuing trust as one of the main characteristics, given that, in the same way, that they will not lie, they will ask their friends or partners for the same.
In this way, they are not people who have many friendships or are linked to many social relationships, but who prefer to have few, but of quality, true links in which both members are sincere and feel satisfied.
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7. They meet 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 to be the most important, is not the consequences generated by fulfilling the commitment or promise, but the fact itself 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.
8. They are not influenced by the environment
Given the importance they attach to honesty, it will be very difficult for people around them to include them and convince them to engage in antisocial behavior, contrary to their beliefs or values, that is, acting dishonestly. Thus, although the behavior may benefit them in certain respects, they will not engage in any action that involves lying. In this way, they will be subjects with a tendency to comply with the established regulations and laws.
9. They try to make their environment honest too
We have already mentioned, they do not lie or accept that their environment lies, thus valuing dishonesty as a trait very negative, which is why they will try to teach, to set an example, to their environment so that they can be more honest. They will act as role models they know by instigating and helping them to act in a similar way to them, to avoid lies, and for their thinking and behavior to agree.
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10. They inspire those around them to be honest
Linked to the previous point, her acting as a model and her persistently honest attitude, will serve as an 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 from 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 behavior. It should be noted that being honest and defending what one thinks does not mean disrespect, we can communicate our opinion in an assertive way, 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 are not afraid to express what they believe or feel, but rather, what causes them fear is not telling the truth and betraying themselves. We must bear in mind that telling the truth or stating what we think is not bad as long as we do it properly, with respect and trying not to harm the other person.