Don’t you know the difference between sincerity and honesty? The world of synonyms often runs the risk of becoming confused: this is the case of two adjectives like “sincere” and “honest”, which tend to be confused with each other. However, sincerity and honesty, on the other hand, are qualities that show the truth in two slightly different ways.
In this Psychology-Online article we will see together the difference between sincerity and honestyanswering questions as common and difficult to resolve as: what is the virtue of sincerity and where the value of honesty is applied.
What is sincerity
Sincerity is a virtue that many human beings can possess, it is a principle that can even define the personality of an individual. But what is the value of sincerity? It is not just about telling the truth, because it goes further: sincerity is a attitude that transcends time and influences the way we act, express ourselves, in addition to influencing our state of mind, because being sincere people we feel good about ourselves.
How is sincerity demonstrated?
Knowing how to distinguish a sincere person from one who pretends is not always easy, but luckily there are signs that can help us understand the people in front of us. Here are the 8 signs that can help us identify a sincere person compared to a hypocrite, so that you know, in addition to knowing what consequences come from not being sincere:
- I respect. Honest people respect everyone equally; Hypocritical people only respect those who have power.
- Admiration. Sincere people admire other people and are not ashamed to say it; Hypocritical people only criticize other people to make themselves look better.
- Opinion. Sincere people always give their opinion; Hypocritical people always talk behind other people’s backs. To know more about it, consult the following post about .
- Altruism. Sincere people help without expecting anything in return; Hypocritical people only help when they get something in return.
- Humble. Sincere people do not boast about their achievements; hypocritical people boast about themselves.
- Self-sufficient. Sincere people do not strive to please others; Hypocritical people strive to look good.
- Trust. Sincere people always keep their promises; Hypocritical people talk a lot, but do nothing. If you want to know more about the subject, we leave you this article on
- Self-esteem. Sincere people are not meant to be the center of attention; Hypocritical people do everything they can to get attention.
What is honesty
Honesty (from Latin honestas) indicates the human quality to act and communicate in a sincere, loyal manner and on the basis of moral principles considered universally valid, avoiding carrying out reprehensible actions towards others.
On the contrary, there is talk of dishonesty, which in some cases can be classified as a punishable crime, for example, in cases of corruption and violation of public officials and false testimony. Indeed, honesty occupies a central place in social relationships and constitutes one of the core values of the rule of law.
When can we say that a person is honest?
It is not easy to answer this question, because there is no perfectly honest (or dishonest) person, but we can distinguish 5 common characteristics in honest people:
- Self-esteem. If you are wondering what being honest is, these types of people are characterized by a good level of self-esteem, because they are aware of themselves, without a need for approval constant. They do not become depressed or angry because of different opinions or attitudes in others that they consider unfair, which is why they know how to receive and process criticism and admit their own mistakes, in addition to accepting those of others. You will develop this point in .
- Welfare. According to research that studied what honesty is, being honest increases the level of psychophysical well-being. Honest people, on average, are in good health, both physically and mentally. And in a good mood.
- Clear language. Speaking clearly and directly is another characteristic of honest people, because it is easier to express what you really feel and think, Bluntly to give a different shape to concepts or to lie. If you want to know more about it, check out our article on .
- Consistency. Don’t know where the value of honesty applies? Honest people do what they say, say what they do. They do not try to modify situations for their own benefit, they don’t lie and they do not need or want to appear different from what they really are. They take responsibility for their actions and accept reality for what it is.
- Trust. The last characteristic is trust in others, which is derived from a underlying optimism and the conviction that sincerity and loyalty are victorious in the long run. It is a way of looking at life that is reflected in even the smallest and seemingly insignificant behaviors of every day. If you want to improve your confidence, you can start with yourself in our post .
Differences between sincerity and honesty
Now that you know what it means to be sincere and what it means to be honest, let’s resolve the differences between sincerity and honesty:
- The honesty: an honest person is morally upright, clear, loyal; he responds, then, to a correction inherent to his own Values system.
- The sincerity: A sincere person is frank, direct, without mincing words, not out of moral duty towards those before him, but out of authenticity and predisposition to transparency.
The sense of truth
In both cases, when it comes to honesty and sincerity, it is assumed that the person is speaking or acting according to the “truth.” However, we must be attentive to the type of truth transmitted:
- For the honest person: consider the truth as a shared virtuetherefore it cannot do without the sense of justice that drives its actions and communications.
- For the sincere person: considers truth in relation to its opposite, falsehood: wanting avoid deceptiondoes not hide behind filters, since what interests him is not saying things as they should be, but how they are (or, rather, how they are seen from his point of view).
When is excess sincerity bad?
Now, behind the excuse of “I’m just honest”, there is often hidden a unwanted judgment for those who receive it, especially if it is not required. Therefore, should we think that sincerity hides a negative meaning that honesty, on the contrary, lacks?
Certainly, it is difficult to prevent the honest and sincere from manifesting themselves: commitment would run the risk of covering up a truth from which they themselves, for one reason or another, They are messengers. If you want to know more about the difference between sincerity and honesty, we recommend reading our article.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Difference between sincerity and honestywe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Di Febo, M. (2020). The difference between oneness and sincerity. Retrieved from: https://angologiroofficial.wixsite.com/home/post/la-differenza-tra-onest%C3%A0-e-sincerit%C3%A0
- Your Edu Action (2021). This person does not have 5 specific characteristics.. Retrieved from: https://www.youreduaction.it/persone-oneste-riconoscono-caratteristiche-precise/