The World Without Trust Trust is a complex aspect of individual human behavior that is reliant upon one’s life experiences. Due to its multi-variable dependency, it is very difficult to study. A complete comprehension of trust draws from many disciplines including, but not limited to, sociology and psychology. Though both of these fields provide research-based insight into building a creditable reputation, trust is nearly impossible to control. The necessary components required to generate willing vulnerability is unique to the circumstances surrounding the relationship and the nature of the relationship. More specifically, trust is dependent upon the duration of the relationship and the level of strain placed on those involved.
There are five key elements, proposed by Pearson, Mont, and Crane, in their publication, “Analysis of Trust Properties”, that provide a structure from which trust emerges and the considerations that should be accounted for when asking for someone’s trust. They concluded that trust is a learning process, trust is fragile, trust is unpredictable, trust is an interaction of causes and effects, and trust reduces the complexity of the world. This proposition is based on qualitative observations of personal human-human relationships and consumer-company interactions. The data that Pearson, Mont, and Crane accumulated reveals trends in human behavior. Indentifying and understanding these principles from which trust operates will prove advantageous; not only can they aid in developing positive interpersonal relationships between individuals, they can also build a strong consumer population for a company. Thus, trust has both an emotional wellbeing component along with a marketable element. Simpson provides an explanation of trust in his publication, “Psychological Foundations of Trust”. Simpson is a researcher that approaches trust from a psychological standpoint. He presents trust as including “people’s loftiest hopes and aspirations with their deepest worries and fears.” Without trust, Simpson claims that healthy, well-functioning relationships cannot be maintained. Trust entails faith in others; assurance that they will act in such a manner that will be beneficial to one’s long-term self-interests. In order to believe that others will follow through, it is necessary to become vulnerable. As a result, people entering into relationships, based on trust, form expectations about other’s future actions. They assume that the people they confide in will make decisions reflecting the wellbeing of both individuals. Pearson, Mont, and Crane further expand upon this definition by incorporating another aspect of trust. They make the assertion that trust is product of human nature that purposely aims towards achieving security and control in one’s life. Trust is a complex when analyzing it from different perspectives. Simpson targets an emotional health viewpoint, narrowing in on successful interpersonal relationships and Pearson, Mont, and Crane, study trust from an economical standpoint, putting emphasis on how companies can gain the trust of their consumers. In human-human relationships people are more susceptible to investing personal emotions and feelings than in consumer-company interactions. Humans are not as devoted to consumer-company relationships because governments and laws are structured to ensure that businesses do not exploit customers. Also, often expensive products come with warranty policies. Thus, whatever someone spends on a good is guaranteed to be reflected in the quality of the item. In contrast, friendships are not as stable. Humans can be characterized as unpredictable. The amount of love invested is not guaranteed to be returned. This is seen in mother-daughter relationships. If I am a mother who puts time, energy, and money into my daughter, my daughter can still act disrespectfully and unthankful for all that has been given to her. Therefore, entering into a human-human relationship involves a high-risk component that slightly changes the model of trust. Both set of researchers support the five key elements of trust mentioned earlier. The first principle, trust is a learning process, illustrates that trust is not static, but dynamic. Strong relationships form only over time. This concept is based upon the assumption that previous occurrences give insight about future events. Logically, a person who acts out of love will continue in the same manner. Likewise, a company who produces quality items will maintain the same caliber with other goods. The second aspect, trust is fragile, is the most important. Once someone grants their trust it is essential to proceed cautiously. Trust takes a long time to develop, but can be taken away in a heartbeat. The third element, trust is unpredictable, also serves as a reminder that there is no set equation that defines trust. Rather, it is an individual human attribute that cannot be controlled. The next component, trust is an interaction of causes and effects, relates the importance of trust. A healthy relationship between two or more individuals is a powerful thing. It can only be caused, or brought to life, after a lengthy process, however, when instituted it can have profound effects. The saying “two brains are better than one” brings to the forefront the necessity of trust during times of advancement. The final principle, trust reduces the complexity of the world, magnifies our weaknesses. We are just humans incapable of solving all of the world’s problems. It is crucial to trust that others will have everyone’s best interest in mind. Without faith in others, the world becomes a very scary place.
Though trust is very difficult to grasp, its applications are endless both from a psychological and sociological perspective. Businesses have to rely on manipulating trust in order to sell products. People work very hard to become financially stable. Sound confidence that a company’s products are of high quality is essential. Also, this research is needed for creating strong interpersonal relationships. If people are aware of the principles guiding trust they can make sure to apply them and form lasting friendships. Researchers have just begun to touch upon this human behavior. Future studies may open new realms of utilizing trust.
