Prince Myshkin and AS

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In reading Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot" I find huge parallels between the main character, Prince Leo Nikolaevich Myshkin and myself. His honesty is unfamiliar to the point of being distrusted and destructive to those around him, yet is unassailable. I feel compelled to speak the truth even when it may not be appropriate to do so, and have this perhaps inane belief that those around me, too, put literal and factual truth ahead of all other considerations -- and often get myself in trouble in so doing. In essence, I trust everyone until soundly proven otherwise, and even then always give the benefit of the doubt.

Do others in this context find that parallel? How does one learn to appropriately distrust?

Through bad experience with others. You live, you learn.

It is quite disconcerting when the truth of people's inherent capacity for prevarication is made a part of your reality. "Jarring" scarcely describes the realization that many do not value truth except when it suits them.

Indeed, jarring is a significant understatement. As I know not who to trust, having been significantly betrayed by taking people at their word again in my life I feel like I am better to trust nobody. I can not help the feeling that that is very unhealthy -- and feel that I am essentially incapable of distrust to begin with.

Trusting nobody is a poor substitute and as unhealthy as you suspect. I tend to place everyone into a neutral category and let trust or mistrust build as I get to know them. I have a slight bias towards trust in the beginning because I want to believe people are basically decent. But I am a very wary person.