by Lisa Jones | November, 2018 | Lisa Jones, Trust
Have you ever thought about trust? It’s a hard concept to pin down: What do we mean when we talk about trust, how does it affect our day to day living? This blog takes a quick look at how we might define trust, and what this has to do with emotions. Defining trust Despite there being an extensive amount of research in relation to trust, it is not easily defined. This is because ones perspective of trust depends on the research aims. For instance, there is research that looks at trust as a strategy that happens between people, where trust does not exist unless at least two people are interacting. Others see it as a form of reasoning; to decide whether someone is trustworthy or not. Research also looks at trust in systems, technology and politics. Much of trust research is interested in behavioural economics, where it is considered important to understand how a lack of trust could cause weaknesses in economic efficacy. Even when considering trust economically, research has found that perceived trust increases well-being amongst communities. Trust then is something that is important to positive relationships. However, often research simplifies the meaning of trust to make studies easier to control. It is argued that this misses the opportunity to study trust as a complex and emotional construction, unique to each person. Trust, from the perspective of emotions, becomes something that changes and responds to the circumstances that one finds oneself in. This theory however is much harder to measure and study. Nevertheless, we need to embrace this complexity if we are to truly understand what each person...
