CONVICTED IN CONTRADICTIONS

Contradiction is simply the opposite meaning to another statement or thing. It refers to things, ideas, or elements that are in contrast to each other, meaning that one or both things or ideas at the same time cannot be accurate. Contradictory statements often contain elements of denial and inconsistency that prove the untruthfulness of a subject matter. Consider a statement like ' Peter will be coming to the party because he is dead'. Only one of these two propositions can be true. It is either Peter is alive and would be attending the party or Peter would not be attending the party because he is dead. This is an example of how contradictory statements sound when people spew them, ridiculous! 

What Does It Mean To Contradict Oneself? 

A statement contradicting oneself implies that an individual makes a conflicting statement containing oxymorons and paradoxes. Meaning that words of opposite meaning are included in the opposing argument in an inadequate attempt to prove a point. A constant contradiction of oneself is an outward projection of arrogance at the subconscious level of the mind rendering conflict and incompatibility. 

In addition, the contradiction of oneself means that someone does or says something different or opposite to something else previously done or said. For example, in an argument if you say “I won’t repeat myself”, yet you say it again, or if you negatively bash someone else’s actions and deemed them unjustified but you just exhibited that same behavior last week and claimed it to be justifiable. 

How does Contradiction Affect How Others Perceive You?

People with contradictory traits are often perceived as hypocrites, inconsistent, and conflicting personalities. Their statements cannot be rationally criticized, neither are they logically consistent. Thus, they can be seemingly seen as someone with incompatible beliefs. Their use of words can have several meanings and are often misconstrued. Their radical and contradictory statements can lead to constant arguments, and their ideas are often unreliable.

How does Contradiction Affect Your Trustworthiness?

Contradictory statements can be seen as false beliefs because they are incompatible and who can trust anyone who’s living in a falsehood? Contradictory statements are characterized by inconsistencies that demean the trustworthiness of the speaker. One out of the two ideas could be regarded as truth in conflicting information, but the whole idea is considered incompatible. With this, the reasoning, trust, and rationality of the individual are quite questionable. 

Contradictory beliefs affect reliability and conflict is usually constant and relatively inclined, leaving a negative impact on trust. Individuals who constantly make use of contradictory statements can be regarded as hypocrites, logically inconsistent, and can be rationally criticized.

Consider this an example of a contradictory statement;

'I love you but I do not like you.'

One cannot love and dislike someone at the same time.

The contradictory statement denotes a decreased sense of trust and a high individual complexity. If it were rephrased to say “ I love you but I don’t like your actions or the way that you treat me” that would be a more effective way to communicate emotions. Sometimes people lack the ability to communicate effectively because they simply lack intellect in regards to vocabulary and often use the wrong choice of words. This is why personal growth is so important because as you can tell, lack of personal growth can leave a negative impact on communication which leaves a negative impact on relationships. It’s a domino effect, one that can start but also end with you.