Difference between sincerity and honesty

¿You don't know what the difference between sincerity and honesty is? Often the world of synonyms runs the risk of being confused: it is the case of two adjectives as "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 honesty, answering questions so common and difficult to solve as: what is the virtue of sincerity and where the value of honesty applies.

1. What is sincerity
2. What is honesty
3. Differences between sincerity and honesty

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 of acting, of expressing itself, in addition to influencing the mood, because being sincere people we feel good with ourselves.

¿How sincerity is 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 signals that can help us identify a sincere person with respect to a hypocritical, so you know, in addition to knowing what consequences the 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 look better.
• Opinion. Sincere people always give their opinion; Hypocritical people always speak behind others. To know more about it, consult the following post about false friends: how to recognize them.
• 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 of their achievements; Hippocritical people boast of themselves.
• Self -sufficient. Sincere people do not strive to please others; Hypocritical people strive to make a good figure.
• Trust. Sincere people always keep their promises; Hippocritical people speak a lot, but they do nothing. If you want to learn more about the subject, we leave you this article about ¿How to detect a liar?
• Self-esteem. Sincere people are not the goal of being the center of attention; Hypocritical people do everything possible to get attention.

What is honesty

Honesty (honest Latin) indicates human quality of acting and communicating sincerely, loyal and based on moral principles considered universally valid, avoiding performable actions towards others.

On the contrary, there is talk of lack of honesty, which in some cases can be typified 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 relations 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 person (or dishonest), but we can distinguish 5 common characteristics in honest people:

• Self-esteem. If you ask what is honest, 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 dejize and do not anger for different opinions or for attitudes in others that they consider unfair, so they know how to receive and process criticism and admit their own mistakes, in addition to accepting those of others. To develop this point in how to improve self -esteem.
• Welfare. According to investigation in which honesty is, the fact of being honest increases the level of Psychophysical well -being. Honest people, on average, enjoy good health, both physically and mentally. And in a good mood.
• Clear language. Talking clear and direct is another characteristic of honest people, because it is easier to express what you really feel and think, Bluntly to give a different form to the concepts or to lie. If you want to know more about it, consult our article on assertive communication: examples and techniques.
• Consistency. ¿You don't know where the honesty value applies? Honest people do what they say, he says what he does. They do not try to modify situations for their own benefit, They don't lie And they don't need or want to be different from what they really are. Assume responsibility for their actions and accept reality for what it is.
• Trust. The last characteristic is confidence in others, which derives from a background optimism And of the conviction that sincerity and loyalty are victorious, in the long run. It is a way of seeing the life that is reflected in the behaviors even smaller and more apparently insignificant of each day. If you want to improve your trust, you can start with yourself in our Post How to have self -confidence.

Differences between sincerity and honesty

Now that you know what it is to be honest and what it is to be honest, let's solve what the differences between sincerity and honesty are:

• The honesty: an honest person is morally complete, limpid, loyal; It responds, then, to an inherent correction of your own Values ​​system.
• The sincerity: A sincere person is frank, direct, without hair on the tongue, not because predisposition to transparency.

The sense of truth

In both cases, being honesty and sincerity, it is assumed that the person is talking or acting according to the "truth". However, we must be attentive to the transmitted type of truth:

• For the honest person: consider the truth as a shared virtue, therefore cannot do without the sense of justice that moves its actions and communications.
• For the sincere person: Consider the truth in relation to the opposite, falsehood: wanting Avoid deception, He does not hide behind filters, since what interests him is not saying things as they should be, but how they are (or, rather, as seen from their point of view).

¿When excess sincerity is bad?

Now, behind the excuse of "I am only sincere", a unwanted judgment For those who receive it, especially if it is not required. Therefore, ¿We must think that sincerity hides a negative meaning of which honesty, on the contrary, lacks?

Certainly, it is difficult to prevent the honest and the sincere manifesting: the commitment would run the risk of covering up a truth from which they themselves, for a reason or another, They are messengers. If you want to know more about the difference between sincerity and honesty, we recommend you read our article characteristic of a sincere person.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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