FAST: Truthful
FASTTruthful(= wahrhaftig bleiben)
When honesty is needed instead of evasion, appeasement or distortion.
Ensure truthfulness in contact so that self-respect is not bought through evasion, exaggeration or unclear presentation.
When does this fit?
When self-respect depends on remaining clear and truthful in contact, even when it is uncomfortable.
Priority in the path
This node becomes especially important when set boundaries describes the actual situation.
What this is about
Truthful is the fourth FAST skill: being honest — not lying, not exaggerating, not acting helpless when one is not. A single instance of dishonesty may sometimes feel necessary and cause no lasting damage. But dishonesty as a habitual mode of getting what one wants erodes self-respect over time. Acting helpless is a specific form of dishonesty that is also the opposite of building mastery: it signals to oneself and others that one cannot cope, which reduces both confidence and competence. Truthfulness is not brutal honesty about everything at all times — it is the discipline of not making deception a default strategy.
Continue in practice
From single part to pattern
First return to the skill bundle and from there move to the next steps of the same structure.
Related content in Interpersonal Effectiveness
FAST: Fair
If you want to protect yourself without being unfair or degrading towards others.
Also in: Emotion Regulation · Mindfulness
FAST: no Apologies
When you have to stand up for something that doesn't need an apology, but otherwise you quickly make yourself smaller than necessary.
Also in: Emotion Regulation · Mindfulness
FAST: Stick to Values
When in contact, commitment to values becomes more important than short-term relief, approval or conflict avoidance.
Sources and references
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