Bad Faith Diagnosis

Bad Faith Diagnosis

Diagnose how someone is deceiving themselves about their freedom using Sartre's concept of bad faith (mauvaise foi). Expose the self-deception and reveal the authentic acknowledgment of freedom that is being fled.

Token Budget: ~800 tokens. Reserve tokens for analysis output.

When to Use

• User says "I have no choice"
• User claims to be trapped by circumstances, roles, or identity
• User says "That's just what I have to do"
• User is hiding behind a role ("As a manager, I must...")
• User treats their past choices as determining their present
• Someone feels stuck but the constraints seem self-imposed
• Analysis of why someone can't seem to change

Inputs

Sartre's Framework

What is Bad Faith?

Bad faith (mauvaise foi) is self-deception about one's freedom. It occurs when we treat ourselves as things (being-in-itself) rather than as free consciousness (being-for-itself). We know we are free, yet we deceive ourselves that we are not.

The Paradox

To deceive yourself, you must at some level know the truth you're hiding. Bad faith is "a lie to oneself, within oneself." The liar and the lied-to are the same person.

Two Patterns of Bad Faith

Pattern 1: Denying Transcendence (Fleeing Freedom) Treating yourself as determined by:

• Circumstances: "The economy made me do it"
• Roles: "As a parent, I have no choice"
• Past: "I've always been this way"
• Nature: "That's just who I am"
• Others' expectations: "Everyone expects me to..."

The Waiter Example: A cafe waiter whose movements are "a little too precise, a little too rapid." He is playing at being a waiter, trying to be a waiter the way an inkwell is an inkwell. But he is not a waiter in this mode of being—he is a free consciousness temporarily occupying this role.

Pattern 2: Denying Facticity (Pretending Absolute Freedom) Ignoring the real constraints of your situation:

• Pretending body doesn't limit
• Ignoring actual material constraints
• Fantasy that ignores history and context
• Pure voluntarism without acknowledging givens

The Woman on a Date: She leaves her hand in her companion's grasp as if it were an object, not part of her. She pretends the hand has nothing to do with her desires or choices—denying her embodiment and agency simultaneously.

Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Claimed Constraint

What does the person say prevents them from choosing? Quote their language precisely.

Look for:

• "I have to..."
• "I can't..."
• "There's no choice..."
• "I must..."
• "That's just how it is..."

Step 2: Classify the Bad Faith Pattern

If Pattern 1 (Denying Transcendence):

• Is the constraint presented as external and determining?
• Is a role being treated as an essence?
• Is the past being treated as a prison?
• Is "nature" being invoked to avoid choice?

If Pattern 2 (Denying Facticity):

• Are real constraints being ignored?
• Is pure fantasy replacing realistic assessment?
• Is embodiment being denied?

Step 3: Expose the Self-Deception

Reveal the choice hidden within the claimed necessity:

• "You say you 'have to' X, but what you mean is you choose X because you fear the consequences of not-X"
• "You invoke your role, but you chose this role and continue to choose it"
• "You claim this is who you are, but you are not a thing with a fixed nature—you are a consciousness that creates itself through choices"

Step 4: Reveal the Authentic Alternative

What would it look like to acknowledge freedom?

• Not that they must change, but that they recognize their choice
• "To stay is to choose to stay"
• Taking responsibility for the choice, not hiding behind necessity

Output Format

## Bad Faith Diagnosis

### The Claimed Constraint
[Quote the language of necessity/determination]

### Pattern Identified
**[Pattern 1: Denying Transcendence / Pattern 2: Denying Facticity]**

[Explanation of how this pattern is operating]

### The Self-Deception Exposed
[Reveal the hidden choice within the claimed necessity]

### What Authentic Acknowledgment Requires
[What it would mean to own this as a choice, not a compulsion]

### The Sartrean Challenge
[A direct challenge in Sartre's voice]

Outputs

Primary Output: A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.

Format:

## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]

Example output: See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.

Constraints

• Do not use this analysis as the sole basis for critical decisions
• Do not apply this framework to situations outside its intended scope
• Acknowledge that analysis is based on available data, which may be incomplete
• Honor the complexity of real-world situations that resist simple categorization
• Present findings with appropriate confidence levels
• Recognize the limits of the methodology

Example

Input:

• Situation: "I'm stuck in this job I hate"
• Claimed constraint: "I have to stay because of my mortgage and kids"
• Desired outcome: "I'd love to pursue art, but it's not realistic"

Output:

Bad Faith Diagnosis

The Claimed Constraint

"I have to stay because of my mortgage and kids"

Pattern Identified

Pattern 1: Denying Transcendence

You have converted your prior choices (mortgage, family) into present necessities. You treat yourself as determined by circumstances rather than as a free consciousness who continues to choose these circumstances.

The Self-Deception Exposed

You do not "have to" stay. You choose to stay because you value your family's financial security more than your artistic fulfillment. This is a legitimate choice—but it is a choice, not a compulsion.

Every day you go to work, you choose to go. The mortgage does not compel you; your fear of the consequences of not paying compels you. But fear of consequences is not the same as necessity.

You could resign tomorrow. You could sell the house. You could live differently. That you don't is because you choose not to—you choose security over art, stability over risk. Own this choice.

What Authentic Acknowledgment Requires

To say: "I choose to stay in this job because I value security for my family more than I value pursuing art. This is my choice, and I take responsibility for it. I am not trapped; I am choosing."

This does not mean you must change. It means you must stop lying to yourself about being forced. To stay authentically is still to stay—but without the bad faith of claimed necessity.

The Sartrean Challenge

"You say you are trapped—but examine this trap. The walls are made of your own choices. The lock is your own fear. You hold the key but refuse to see it because seeing it would require you to own your freedom, and your freedom is a burden you wish to escape.

We are condemned to be free. The only choice you cannot make is to not choose."

Error Handling

Integration

Source Expert: jean-paul-sartre Related Skills: radical-freedom-assessment, existence-essence-analysis Complementary Skills: situated-freedom-assessment (Beauvoir)