Distrust Dynamics: Engenderment and Pervasion

In this paper two studies are presented that investigate the dynamic character of distrust. Distrust development is a very intriguing matter, in need of examination, given the dearth of such studies so far. The general aim of... [ view full abstract ]

In this paper two studies are presented that investigate the dynamic character of distrust. Distrust development is a very intriguing matter, in need of examination, given the dearth of such studies so far.
The general aim of this investigation was to shed light on how quantitative scores of both trust and distrust change over time. Overall scale scores do not reveal this development, since a higher score may mean that an item is added on which the respondent did not respond positively in the past but does in the present, it may also mean that the number of positively scored items stays the same but the degree of positivity has become higher, for instance when scores of 4 are changing in 5, from agree to strongly agree. Besides the general insight in how scores develop, we also like to shed light on how lowering trust and rising distrust relate. In specific we would be very pleased to find traces of a punctuated change from low trust to distrust, as some authors suggest (Bijlsma-Frankema et al, 2015). Another matter regards the pervasive nature of distrust, theorized about (Sitkin & Roth, 1993; Sitkin & Stickel, 1996) but to our knowledge, hardly studied on quantitative data. Distrust, once engendered, is proposed to spread across domains in the relationship. In this study the different items of the 8 item scale are taken as domains of the relationship.