Radical Honesty
Encyclopedia
Radical Honesty is a technique and self-improvement program developed by Dr. Brad Blanton
. The program asserts that lying
is the primary source of modern human stress and that practitioners will become happier by being more honest, even about painful or taboo subjects. Blanton claims this form of honesty can help all human relationships since it "creates an intimacy not possible if you are hiding something for the sake of someone's feelings."
The Radical Honesty technique includes having practitioners state their feelings bluntly, directly and in ways typically considered impolite. For example, "I'm disgusted with you for X" where X is a statement of objective observation about the person towards whom the comment is being directed. People who practice Radical Honesty employ a collection of techniques to shift them out of acceptable norms of "white lying" for the purpose of having a more truthful relationship with themselves and others.
The material employed to communicate and teach Radical Honesty through books and workshops is drawn from an eclectic collection of sources including Sufism
, clinical psychology
, Gestalt therapy
and the comic spiritual belief (developed by Blanton) called Futilitarianism, which claims that it is futile to have any belief whatsoever.
, from the 2009
FOX series Lie to Me
adheres to Radical Honesty during the first season. From the website bio of the character in the first season: “Eli Loker is Lightman's lead researcher, who is so uncomfortable with the human tendency to lie that he's decided to practice what he calls "radical honesty." He says everything on his mind at all times and often pays the price.”
Writer A.J. Jacobs
devotes a chapter in the book The Guinea Pig Diaries to his attempts to live according to the precepts of Radical Honesty.
At a Moth
Mainstage event in 2009, radio producer and writer Starlee Kine
related her experience with Radical Honesty, which she labelled a cult. Kine described a seminar where Blanton was verbally abusive and at one point urged her to sign a contract to obey him completely for the duration of the seminar.
In the last book of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, a character named Frizz Mizuno invented a surgical procedure that renders him unable to lie. In fact, if he hears someone tell a lie when he himself knows the truth, he can't even simply not speak -- he has to reveal the truth, as the 'radical honesty' procedure also renders him incapable of keeping his thoughts to himself. Even at the possible cost of his own life and the lives of people he cares about, he still can't lie to save them, because his brain is wired to speak the truth.
In Bones (season 6)
, episode 20, The Pinocchio in the Planter, the victim, Ross Dickson, was part of a fictional group called "The Honesty Policy" that practiced Radical Honesty. The episode begins exploring radical honesty as the victim being deliberately rude and belligerent, with ill effects potentially leading to his demise, and with a crass and alienating character who attended the same group. However, it also explores through several character sub-plots positive outcomes resulting from honesty inspired by encountering the concept of Radical Honesty. The phrase "Radical Honesty" is used throughout the episode.
Brad Blanton
W. Brad Blanton is an author, seminar leader, and twice candidate for United States House of Representatives , both times as an Independent running against Republican incumbent Eric Cantor in Virginia's Seventh Congressional District...
. The program asserts that lying
Lying
Lying may refer to:* Lie — a deliberate untruth.* Lying a 2011 book by neuroscientist Sam Harris* Lying — a horizontal position* Lying — a 2006 film* Lying — a song by Australian band, Amy Meredith...
is the primary source of modern human stress and that practitioners will become happier by being more honest, even about painful or taboo subjects. Blanton claims this form of honesty can help all human relationships since it "creates an intimacy not possible if you are hiding something for the sake of someone's feelings."
The Radical Honesty technique includes having practitioners state their feelings bluntly, directly and in ways typically considered impolite. For example, "I'm disgusted with you for X" where X is a statement of objective observation about the person towards whom the comment is being directed. People who practice Radical Honesty employ a collection of techniques to shift them out of acceptable norms of "white lying" for the purpose of having a more truthful relationship with themselves and others.
The material employed to communicate and teach Radical Honesty through books and workshops is drawn from an eclectic collection of sources including Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
, clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
, Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
and the comic spiritual belief (developed by Blanton) called Futilitarianism, which claims that it is futile to have any belief whatsoever.
Books
- Blanton, Brad 2011, The Korporate Kannibal Kookbook - The Empire Is Consuming Us, SparrowHawk Publications, ISBN 1-4507425-3-X
- Blanton, Brad 2006, Beyond Good and Evil: The Eternal Split-Second Sound-Light Being, SparrowHawk Publications, ISBN 0-9706938-5-0
- Blanton, Brad 2005, Radical Honesty, The New Revised Edition: How to Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth, SparrowHawk Publications; Revised edition, ISBN 0-9706938-4-2
- Blanton, Brad 2004, The Truthtellers, SparrowHawk Publications, ISBN 0-9706938-3-4
- Blanton, Brad 2002, Radical Parenting: Seven Steps to a Functional Family in a Dysfunctional World, SparrowHawk Publications, ISBN 0-9706938-2-6
- Blanton, Brad 2001, Honest to God: A Change of Heart That Can Change the World, SparrowHawk Publications, ISBN 0-9706938-1-8
- Blanton, Brad 2000, Practicing Radical Honesty, SparrowHawk Publications, ISBN 0-9630921-9-7
- Blanton, Brad 1996, Radical Honesty: How To Transform Your Life By Telling The Truth, Dell; 7th Printing edition, ISBN 0-4405075-4-5
In popular culture
The character Eli Loker, played by Brendan HinesBrendan Hines
Brendan Hines is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He has had a number of small television roles and leading roles in a handful of independent films.-Biography:...
, from the 2009
2009 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2009. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
FOX series Lie to Me
Lie to Me
Lie to Me is a 2009-2011 American television series.Lie to Me may also refer to:* Lie to Me , a South Korean drama series* "Lie to Me" , an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
adheres to Radical Honesty during the first season. From the website bio of the character in the first season: “Eli Loker is Lightman's lead researcher, who is so uncomfortable with the human tendency to lie that he's decided to practice what he calls "radical honesty." He says everything on his mind at all times and often pays the price.”
Writer A.J. Jacobs
A.J. Jacobs
Arnold Stephen Jacobs, Jr., commonly called A.J. Jacobs is an American journalist and author.-Personal:...
devotes a chapter in the book The Guinea Pig Diaries to his attempts to live according to the precepts of Radical Honesty.
At a Moth
The Moth
The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It was founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the...
Mainstage event in 2009, radio producer and writer Starlee Kine
Starlee Kine
Starlee Kine is an American public radio producer and writer. She was born in California. Her work has been featured on This American Life and Marketplace. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine...
related her experience with Radical Honesty, which she labelled a cult. Kine described a seminar where Blanton was verbally abusive and at one point urged her to sign a contract to obey him completely for the duration of the seminar.
In the last book of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, a character named Frizz Mizuno invented a surgical procedure that renders him unable to lie. In fact, if he hears someone tell a lie when he himself knows the truth, he can't even simply not speak -- he has to reveal the truth, as the 'radical honesty' procedure also renders him incapable of keeping his thoughts to himself. Even at the possible cost of his own life and the lives of people he cares about, he still can't lie to save them, because his brain is wired to speak the truth.
In Bones (season 6)
Bones (season 6)
The sixth season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 23, 2010, and concluded on May 19, 2011, on the Fox Network. The show maintained its previous time slot, airing on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET and then moved to Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET in 2011...
, episode 20, The Pinocchio in the Planter, the victim, Ross Dickson, was part of a fictional group called "The Honesty Policy" that practiced Radical Honesty. The episode begins exploring radical honesty as the victim being deliberately rude and belligerent, with ill effects potentially leading to his demise, and with a crass and alienating character who attended the same group. However, it also explores through several character sub-plots positive outcomes resulting from honesty inspired by encountering the concept of Radical Honesty. The phrase "Radical Honesty" is used throughout the episode.
External links
- Center for Radical Honesty
- I Think You're Fat, an article in EsquireEsquire (magazine)Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine on the subject of Radical Honesty, containing an interview with Blanton and a description of the writer's experiment in Radical Honesty. - http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/item_2kSdPZugveldcl1hYMNj4N