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Y
's perceived trustworthiness/reliability can just be based on the perception or ascription of
affects and emotions in
Y
. We ascribe to the other not only goals and beliefs but also emotions
and moods, and our positive (or negative) evaluation as for trusting
Y
, or our prediction can
just be based on the perceived/ascribed emotion.
For example, I can rely on the fact that
Y
will carry out a given action (for example, helping
a poor guy sleeping in the streets) because I see that he is really feeling pity or guilt, and
he is pushed to care about that guy. Or I expect that
Y
will interpose between
Z
and me
(
Z
is aggressing me) just because
Y
is very angry with
Z
and aggressively reacting to
Z
's
aggression. Or I expect help from
Y
because I realize that he has very nice sentiments and
positive emotions towards me.
X
's emotions and
Y
's emotions can be strongly related with each other. On the one hand,
X
's perception of
Y
's emotional attitude can be based on
X
's own emphatic emotions. On the
other hand,
X
's emotion of trust can be just the affective response and reciprocation of
Y
's
perceived positive emotions towards
X
. Moreover,
Y
's perceived emotions can be elicited by
X
's trustful and affective attitude (Chapter 8).
But again the affective-based and the reason-based attitude of trust can be (and usually are)
mixed up with each other. Even an evaluation or a decision to trust
Y
, based on reasons and
evidence, can elicit not only an affective disposition in
X
towards
Y
, but also an affective
response in
Y
. Or vice versa, an affective disposition of
Y
, can be the base for a well-argued
evaluation of
Y
as for a given task or relation (for example, as a babysitter).
5.9 The Possible Affective Base of 'Generalized Trust'
and 'Trust Atmosphere'
We deny that the theory of generalized or diffuse trust (the so called 'social capital') is a
separate and different model from the theory of interpersonal trust. In our view, the former
must be built upon and derived from the latter (Chapter 6).
On the one hand,
trust capital is a macro, emerging phenomenon
;
but it must be understood
also in terms of its micro foundations
.
On the other hand, conceptually speaking, the
notion of trust is just one and the same
notion,
7
at different levels of abstraction and generalization.
It is true that social trust relationships and networks (Chapter 9) are more than the simple
summation of
X
's trust towards
Y
(and
Z
, and
W
) and
Y
's (etc.) trust towards
X
(etc.). Social
trust builds richer 'relationships':
'I trust you; in so doing our relationship moves a little
further forward.'
((Holton, 1994) p. 68). But, why is it so?
Because
X
's trust is also a
signal
, it exhibits an internal evaluation, etc.; because it gives
or shows to the other the opportunity to harm
X
and thus
the opportunity to choose not to
harm X
, of favoring
X
; because it elicits gratitude, relax, trust improvement; because it creates
reciprocity of both attitude and behavior.
5.10 Layers and Paths
In conclusion,
in our model there are three layers or stages and two paths or families of trust
(see Figure 5.4).
7
Both, as emotional disposition, feeling, and action tendency; and as an explicit evaluation, belief, and grounded
expectation and decision.
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