I have learned that it is in MY best interest to be very indulgent (as you put it) with all new people I meet. There is no faster way to understand who you are really dealing with and whether you want to be around that type of person. Social defense strategies don’t actually accomplish the goal of safety because they set the power dynamic in the wrong direction. Indulgence (and actually believing what people say about themselves) gives people lots of room to either fall on their sword with you, or surprise and delight you. It’s definitely the power position.