Foundations of Interpersonal Trust

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Foundations of Interpersonal Trust Trust: "confidence that [one] will find what is desired [from another] rather than what is feared." -DEUTSCH

According to Morton Deutsch, who many consider the founder of modem theory and research on trust, trust involves the delicate juxtaposition of peoples' loftiest hopes and aspirations in relation to their deepest worries and darkest fears. For this reason, situations in which trust is relevant often generate strong approachavoidance gradients, particularly when individuals feel vulnerable and must count on the benevolence of their partners to receive important outcomes. Although not a complete definition of the construct, Deutsch's crisp observation captures the quintessential features ofinterpersonal trust, which is the topic of this chapter. Trust is one of the most important components-and perhaps the most essential ingredient-for the development and maintenance of happy, well-functioning relationships (Fehr, 1988;Regan, Kocan, & Whitlock, 1998). Several lifespan theories, ranging from Bowlby's (1969, 1973) attachment theory to Erikson's (1963) theory of psychosocial development, contend that early exposure to relationships defined by strong trust lays the foundation on which most future relationships are constructed. Without some basic level of trust, individuals are reluctant to initiate, invest in, or sustain most voluntary relationships (e.g., with friends, recreation partners, and romantic partners). Indeed, trust appears to be crucial for the emergence of healthy and secure relationships (Holmes & Rempel, 1989; Larzelere & Huston, 1980), and the betrayal of trust is one of the most commonly mentioned reasons for the demise of relationships (Miller & Rempel, 2004). Outside the realm of relation-

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ships, trust acts as a social lubricant that promotes cooperation between group members, sustains social order, and permits beneficial long-term exchanges that otherwise might never occur (Cook & Cooper, 2003; Ostrom & Walker, 2003). Given the central importance of trust in interpersonal affairs, one might suspect that it has received widespread theoretical and empirical attention. Though there have been significant pockets of theory (e.g., Holmes & Rempel, 1989; Kelley & Thibaut, 1978) and research (e.g., Mikulincer, 1998;Rempel, Holmes, & Zanna, 1985) on trust, surprisingly little is known about how trust develops, how it is maintained, how it shapes and interacts with major interpersonal processes (e.g., the development of intimacy and closeness) and outcomes (e.g., relationship satisfaction and stability), and how it unravels when betrayed. Why has trust received such limited attention? There are a variety of viable reasons. To begin with, trust isa complex, multidimensional construct, rendering it amenable to diverse interpretations in different social situations (Kramer & Carnevale, 2001). Second, trust might be construed differently and take on varying importance at different stages of relationship development (Fletcher, Simpson, & Thomas, 2000; Larzelere & Huston, 1980). Views about what constitutes sufficient trust in a partner/relationship during the initial stages of relationship development (such as a partner's general reliability and predictability) may be quite different from those used to gauge trust in long-term relationships