― Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life The most important factor in self-presentation to me is honesty. This is how I would like to leave an impression for others to have a perception of me that I am honest which in alignment with the social moral identity. (Ph.D, Jess K. Alberts. Interpersonal Effectiveness: Psychology 180. Argosy University, 2009).
Most of what I know or think I know of other people springs from what I know of myself, and that includes the quality of honesty. Whether I know myself to be mostly honest or mostly dishonest, it is the basis of my perception and reaction by other people. My perceptions of others are strongly affected by my own experiences and the attitudes in me they create. If I am honest and inexperienced, what may be called innocent or naive by most, if not all, of those I encounter. But honesty does not necessitate gullibility. I can in fact retain honesty in my dealings and interactions with others while being aware that they may not be so inclined themselves. Just because I repeatedly meet, associate with and establish agreements with people whose concept of honesty leaves a lot to be desired, does not mean I must be conceptually blind to their attitudes, nor fall victim to them. Nor for that matter, be corrupted by their immoral practices.
In my view, it is actually far harder for a dishonest person to believe an honest person telling the truth, than it is for an honest person to believe a dishonest person who is, in that particular circumstance, telling the truth. Dishonest people have an extreme amount of difficulty in believing anyone. Honest people with experience, have considerably more discernment. By knowing honesty and integrity within myself, I have a far greater chance of