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Y
, even if disturbed by the diffidence, could have a pridefully reaction and produce a better
performance.
In sum,
Y
's trustworthiness could be different (with respect to
X
's expected one) and the
cause of this difference could be both
X
's trust and/or
X
's distrust.
Let us in particular stress the fact that the predicted effect of the act of trusting
Y
on
Y
's
possible performance can feedback on
X
's decision, and modify the level of trust and thus the
decision itself:
X
's trust might be unsufficient for delegating to
Y
, but the predicted effects of trusting him
might make it sufficient!
Vice versa,
X
's static trust in
Y
might be sufficient for delegating to him, but the predicted
effect of the delegation act on
Y
feeds back on the level of trust, decreases it, and makes it
unsufficient for delegating.
6.4 The Dynamics of Reciprocal Trust and Distrust
The act of trusting somebody (i.e. the reliance) can also be an implicitly communicative
act. This is especially true when the delegation is
strong
(when it implies and relies on the
understanding and agreement of the delegee), and when it is part of a bilateral and possibly
reciprocal relation of delegation-help, like in social exchange. In fact, in
social exchange X
's
adoption of
Y
's goal is
conditional
to
Y
's adoption of
X
's goal.
X
's adoption is based on
X
's
trust in
Y
, and vice versa. Thus,
X
's trusting
Y
for delegating to
Y
atask
τ
is in some sense
τ
.
X
has also to trust (believe) that
Y
will trust her and vice versa:
there is a recursive embedding of trust attitudes.
Not only
this, but the measure of
X
's trusting
Y
depends on, varies with the decision and the act of
Y
's
trusting
X
(and vice versa).
The act of trusting can have among its effects that of determining or increasing Y's trusting
X.
Thus,
X
may be aware of this effect and may plan to achieve it through her act of trusting. In
this case,
X
must plan for
Y
to understand her decision/act of trusting
Y
. But, why does
X
wants
to communicate to
Y
about her decision and action of relying on
Y
? In order to induce some
(more) trust in
Y
. Thus the higher goal of that communication goal in
X
's plan is to induce
Y
to
believe that '
Y
can trust
X
since
X
trusts
Y
'. And this is eventually in order (to higher goal) to
induce
Y
to trust
X
. As claimed in sociology (Gambetta, 1990) there is in social relations the
necessity of actively promoting trust. 'The concession of trust' - which generates precisely
that behaviour that seems to be its logical presupposition - is part of a strategy for structuring
social exchange.
In sum, usually there is a circular relation, and more precisely a positive feedback, between
trust in reciprocal delegation-adoption relations (from commerce to friendship). That - in
cognitive terms - means that the (communicative) act of trusting and eventually delegating
impacts on the beliefs of the other ('trust' in the strict sense) that are the bases of the 'reliance'
attitude and decision producing the external act of delegating (Figure 6.8).
Analogously there is a positive feedback relation between distrust dispositions: as usually
trust induces trust in the other, so usually distrust increments distrust. What precisely is the
conditional on
Y
's trusting
X
for delegating to
X
atask
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