I'm commenting because I think it's important to see that this kind of thinking is not a matter of choice. It DOES happen to people after suffering a major trauma - or a series of such traumas over time - in the form of being damaged by some most significant people in their lives, those who were supposed to love them. Unconditionally. Especially if the person is sensitive/vulnerable to this kind of damage.

I am in the exact same place as the opening poster and while I am often able to see how irrational my thinking is, most of the time I am fully convinced that people ARE bad, liars, users and have nothing but selfish motives. On top of that - and you see this all over this or any kind of similar forum - most posters seem very lenient with themselves stating that it is part of human nature, self defense, social norm or even a kind thing to lie, pretend, wear a mask, etc.

For someone with my mindset and possibly that of the OP - such opinions are a cause for even more profound despair and a complete justification of this excessive distrust.

Yes, it is an awfully hard life to live, destructive, toxic, isolating but - like I said - it is not a matter of choice.

As for your comment of justifying negative behaviour I can only talk about myself - what this mindset encourages is being dead sharp on people and never trust, look out for signs of their hidden agenda, etc. It often means feeling utterly lost, hopeless, disgusted, angry, suicidal.

I know that most people would find a person with such mindset very unpleasant to be around but - at least for me - this view on people does not make me a user or a liar. I am actually desperate NOT to be like how I see everyone else.