What is sincericide and what are its effects?

In opportunities, our parental and even school upbringing, instill rules ofbehavior in societyand many of them are related to truth, honesty, sincerity, not to tell lies, but rarely do not tell us how to transmit it.

This is how we believe thatbeing sincere, has to do with telling the truth, but that raw truth, seeking attention and understanding from the victim, without measuring consequences, but in this context, we convert from sincere tosinceric.

In the following article, we give you all the necessary information about this behavior, so that you know about its characteristics and have tools to handle it.

What is sincericide?

Sincericideis a behavior in whicha person believes himself brave and honest, and consequently, is honest before others, before the lie, without any filter, even when no one has asked for his opinion.

The literature indicates that the origin of the word homicide is the Latin wordhomicidĭum, formed byhomo (man, human being) andcaedĕre (kill), which in the case ofsincericide, by similarity, would bekilling through sincerity.

Note: Sincericideis a term used bypsychology, to refer to the habit that some people have ofnot controlling thought or expression. Their main characteristic is thatthey transmit through speech, the first thing that comes to mind, arguing that they are honest people.

In spite of this, what “sincericide” does is break with an implicit social norm, which tells us that we should not say what is not necessary to communicate, that is, be prudent with words.

Unlikesincerity, sincericideis an anti-valuewhen that sincerity ends up hurting and harming the other.

Characteristics of sincericide

This behavior is surrounded by Peculiar characteristics, which make its manifestation easily identifiable. Here we mention the most common:

The truth manifests without contemplation

One of the main characteristics of authentic sincericide is that ideas are expressed without measuring consequences , with too much sincerity. It does not take into account who you are going to express yourself to, the context in which they are found, or the tone of the words to be used.

Note: The individual who manifests this behavior carries a dagger in his tongue in search of attacking and harming his opponent.

May be inappropriate and harmful

The truth must be manifested, but the appropriate thing is to manifest it in a positive and assertive language. The raw truth , without taking other considerations than the relief of the speaker, is inappropriate if it is said in the presence of other people or in an inappropriate context.

This is psychologically harmful for the victim, in fact it can be harmful for relationships.

Empathy does not apply

The one who manifests a truth in a crude way, does not have Emotional Empathywith the couple. As it is said colloquially“He does not put himself in the shoes of the other” , and does not pay attention to the sensitivity , to the situations or problems that he may be facing.

There is no awareness of the consequences

Really, at the time of this release there is no measurement of the consequencesof the words you use to tell a harsh truth. It only matters that the aggressor feels calm because he said what he had to say.

Note: Sincericide occurs very frequently in dysfunctional couple relationships.

There is a low level of emotional intelligence

In the absence of empathy from the sender of the crude truth towards the victim, we can hardly assume that there can be an Understanding of emotions .

could have bad intentions

Another reason to be sincereis that the injuries that it may cause matter more than the informative intention of the words. The sender of the crude truth acts in this case, withPremeditation and Treachery , seeking only to cause damage to the feelings of the receiver .

Curious fact: The Austrian doctor and psychotherapist Alfred Adler said that “The truth is often a weapon of aggression. It is possible to die, and even murder, with the truth . (1)

Negative emotionsgeneraldominate human behavior, especially in sincericide.

Effects of Sincericide

Sincericide brings with it Very negative consequences, both for the one who expresses it, and for the one who receives what is expressed. We mention the most common below:

Family and work coexistence problems

Interpersonal relationships at the family level (especially with a partner) and at work are difficult , with people who express ideas or observations without the slightest consideration of the words they express.

Note: This effect gives way to Resentment.

damage to self-esteem

Being honest in excess of unhealthy words can damage the image that the receiver has of himself, and can cause psychological disorders such as depression .

Likewise, sincericide kills morality, dignity, self-esteem in the name of truth, of honesty.

Important: It is one thing to speak with the truth and another thing is to hurt with the truth.

incompatibility with others

The environment that surrounds a sincere person is not usually honest with her, in addition to the fact that it is not easy to function in an environment with these characteristics.

Decreased social skills

How to avoid sincericide?

There are Strategies and techniquesaimed at correcting this type of harmful behavior. Here we present the most relevant:

Be empathetic

When we can understand the situation and the feelings that another person is experiencing, we are being empathetic . This allows us to acquire one of the social skills to establish interpersonal relationships.

Important: Empathy can bee developed and even enhanced, but the important thing is to be completely authentic to this.

Be prudent and timely

Note: Oscar Wilde said that “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing but too much sincerity is absolutely fatal” . (two)

Apply emotional intelligence

The fact of Understanding in advance, the damage that we can cause to a neighbor with the harshness of our opinion, allows us to reflect on the way in which we are going to transmit our observations or claims. This is appropriate in relationships.

communicate assertively

The moment you learn to express your ideas, feelings, and needs directly, confidently, calmly, and honestly, you are communicating assertivelytag. One of the ways to avoid sincericide is this.

Think about the effects that could be generated

Reflecting on the consequences that these expressions with evident harmfulness could generate, could mitigate the negative effects that they generate in the recipient.

In this sense, the phrase “think before acting” should be considered in these situations.

Key Findings

• The characteristic of sincericide is that it is a behavior that “kills” with sincerity.
• It has detrimental effects on the victim.
• It also has negative effects on the sincericide itself .
• The sincericide shows through this behavior weaknesses in social skills.
• It is perfectly surmountable because it is treated by psychology and improves relationships.