Some people ask for honesty only until honesty stops flattering them.

Requests for honesty are usually sincere and often come with an unspoken limit. As long as your honest view is reassuring, it is welcome; when it stops being flattering, the same honesty becomes an attack, a mood, or evidence that you are unsupportive. The limit is rarely stated, which is why you tend to discover it by crossing it. Some people can genuinely take it, and they are worth identifying.

When you are asked for your honest opinion, notice how previous honesty was received rather than the request itself. Offer it in proportion to what someone has shown they can hold. And when you ask others, watch how you respond so that you are not doing the same thing.