People rarely disclose their character so clearly as when they describe someone else’s, what do you think?

Question

People rarely disclose their character so clearly as when they describe someone else’s, what do you think?

Answer 1

A good psychological character description, or one of good epistemic foundations, would be clinical and tell you nothing about the speaker.

A metapysical description done as exactly would demonstrate the speaker's own epistemology and psychology, but perhaps not his/her "character."

Answer 2

How can I describe my own character?  I'll leave out all the bad things, inflate the good things and add a few things that I would have liked to have. According to Celestine prophecies, every person is the mirror too the one you don't want to be.  Jesus said clearly: "Take the tree out of your own eye, before you notice the splinter in your neighbors" (paraphrased)  Which means exactly what you just stated.

Peace.

Answer 3

Transference of guilt and apportioning of blame upon others by the less than innocent is commonplace, granted, but I would not apply it as the general norm.

Answer 4

I think your question is intended differently than most people are reading it. You mean that people are describing themselves best when they are trying to describe other people correct? If so, I think you couldn't be more correct. This is a theory I developed long ago and it's funny explaining it because the explanation itself is encompassed by the theory. For example, if I try to make a general statement about the human population "Most people hate kissing in front of their pet", most of the time I'm actually stating my personal view. The reason people make claims like these and that this theory generally proves true is because people meet others who are similar to themselves and people are in general inclined to meet those with similar tastes and habits, and therefore obtain a worldview that their own style of living is commonplace. Want to learn more? Take an interculutural communications class.

Answer 5

I think you are right.

What Peter tells me about Paul tells me more about Peter than it does about Paul!

How people speak of others provides an extraordinary insight into their character, and they do it quite subconsciously. In hearing what they perceive in another, we see their focus, whether they magnify positive or negative attributes, what they choose to overlook. This is one reason why I detest gossip ... people who gossip show themselves to be critical, judemental, rumour-mongers, who thrive on the sadness, misfortune and shame of others. Yet they get a little thrill out of that momentary feeling of superiority in running someone else down. It's quite ugly to witness.  

Answer 6

who is honest ?

Answer 7

It's not that people are purposefully "hiding" their character, it's just that most of us don't have the subjective views of ourselves that that would be required to analyze our own characters.