It’s easy to recognize hypocrisy when it comes to your friends and relatives, sometimes. However, it is not always easy to identify hypocrisy in new acquaintances.
In an ideal world, we would all be able to spot a hypocrite without too much difficulty. But unfortunately, in the real world, we live in a society where there are many different types of people who have different morals and values than what they show and display.
It is important to be able to spot these differences so that you can avoid being led astray by lies and people that pretend.
What is hypocrisy?
Hypocrisy is a term that is used in order to describe the act of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs while simultaneously acting in a way that contradicts those beliefs.
The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word, ‘hypocriteia’ which means to play a role. It has been used to describe those who pretend to have moral or religious beliefs that they do not actually have.
The term is often used in a derogatory way to refer to someone who is insincere or dishonest about their beliefs, especially when those beliefs are important for other people to form their opinions of them.
Ways to recognize hypocrisy:
It can be difficult to identify when someone is being hypocritical because they may outwardly appear to be acting according to their own principles and values, even if they are not.
They may pretend to like you and to want to be with you, but behind your back, they may talk bad of you, mock you and even plot against you to harm you in some way. So how do you recognize them?
1- Dropping contradicting clues:
There are many ways that you can identify someone’s hypocrisy. The best way to recognize hypocrisy is by looking at the person’s actions and words.
If they are always telling you how they are so honest and upstanding, but you still pick up on clues that they lied or hid their true intentions then it might be time to question what they are really saying.
One of the most common ways is by knowing their moral code and then looking for a contradiction, between what they say and what they do. They will also have certain traits that are common in people who lie or cheat.
To recognize a hypocrite, one must look at their actions and words carefully. To recognize a hypocrite, look for inconsistencies between their words and actions. They will often have double standards or say one thing and do another.
2- They tell you how they heard others talk of you:
It could also be someone who comes to you and tells you how a person spoke badly of you. However, if you think about it long enough, then you’d start questioning how the person that claims to be your friend didn’t defend you or didn’t contradict whoever was talking badly of you.
Or, did they maybe share the gossip and add on to the insults that were targeting you, only to come and tell you how only the other person did this or say that?
3- Someone who preaches the opposite of what they do:
There are many ways in which we can recognize a hypocrite. The most obvious way is when they talk about what they do not do. In other words, they emphasize and talk bad of things that others do, when they themselves do the same only in private or secretly.
A hypocrite will often say that they are against something that they themselves do and then proceed to say in another context that their behavior is acceptable or even commendable.
They may also be someone who preaches about how to live a good life but does not follow their own advice.
4- Watch their body language:
A hypocrite can be recognized by their actions and words, but also by their appearance and body language.
They will say that they are a good person and will do what’s right, but if you question them on their actions, they’ll start to get defensive.
Body language is a powerful tool that can help us find out if someone is being dishonest or not. It’s difficult to tell what someone is thinking by just looking at their face, but you can get a better idea of how they might be feeling by looking at their body language.
-Body language clues:
– Eye contact: If you’re trying to detect whether someone is lying or not, make sure you maintain eye contact with them. If they look away from you, it could mean that they are hiding something from you.
– Head movement: If your suspect keeps moving their head up and down while speaking, it could be an indication that they are lying.
5- They talk behind their friends’ back:
A good way to identify a hypocrite is by looking at how they treat other people. If someone treats others with disrespect and cruelty, it is more likely that they are being hypocritical to you too.
If they talk badly of people that they are friends with behind their back, then you should be careful and realize they may be doing the same. It is not just what they say, but also how they act too. The person might say one thing and do another. This can be obvious or subtle.
The person might be able to fool everyone around them, but you should pay attention and see how their character changes when they’re with someone they may have spoken badly of in private. They would talk in a horrible way behind the backs of the people that you see them befriend and be close to.
5- Other ways to recognize hypocrisy:
The following are some ways in which you can recognize hypocrisy:
– When someone tells you something and then does the opposite;
– When someone says one thing but does another;
– When someone makes a claim but doesn’t provide evidence for it;
– When someone makes an argument and then changes their mind later on.
– They don’t stay true to their words and actions.
– They are quick to judge others, but not themselves.
– They say one thing and do another.
The bottom line:
People who are hypocrites are most difficult to spot. They will never admit that they’re a hypocrite and they will always talk behind their close and loved ones back.
It’s not always easy to tell if somebody is a hypocrite or not, so you should be careful when dealing with someone that you have doubts about. Now that you know how to spot a hypocrite, be sure to know how to deal with one.