Sometimes people can get taken advantage of because they are naive, idealistic, and overly trusting. This doesn’t mean they don’t have self respect.

The most dangerous people are covert. I have the self-respect to be very assertive. But what I have been very bad at historically is realizing when people are lying to me, manipulating me, etc. This wasn’t due to a lack of self respect. I don’t think it was weakness either. I just kept seeing the best in people.

It has been well established that the most honest people are very bad at identifying liars. It is simply very difficult for them to identify or empathize with why people would lie so this makes them gullible.

Some people also are incapable of manipulation. Their brains just don’t work that way. People who don’t manipulate have more difficulty identifying manipulators. I had to finally do a lot of research on manipulative behavior to try to get better at identifying it. I guess previously I just wanted to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I kept doing this even after I got burned a few times. It wasn’t bc I didn’t have self respect. A lack of self respect would have been staying friends with people who manipulated me. But I kept on going through life relatively oblivious and overly trusting. I think maybe I’ve finally gotten smarter.