The reason that a person can continue to live in a state of strategy rather than honesty and authenticity is because they decided long ago that what they value most is being able to control the experiences they have. If they can think and speak and act in a way that guarantees that they will avoid what they want to avoid and get what they want to get, they are acting in accordance with their core value. And therefore, in being strategic, they feel like they are being true to themselves, even if they are being inauthentic and dishonest.