It's always felt like "the right thing to do" giving someone the benefit of the doubt. But I've noticed that it most often comes with a "story", and if you listen to me often, you know how I feel about telling yourself a story to make something ok. That story is the mark of a cognitive distortion.
So here I am realizing that (for me) when I give someone the benefit of the doubt, I am making up a story FOR THEM so that I don't have to see the false, the lie, the pretend, the dishonesty. And depending on the person, I give WAY too many benefits despite the huge doubt.
Anyway...here's the thought process:
