How Do I Trust Thee? Dynamic Trust Profiles and Their Individual and Social Contextual Determinants

Levels of trust in a social relationship can fluctuate over time. However, few studies have directly examined the different trust decisions involved as the relationship evolves and delineated the various trust patterns that arise from these decisions. Our analysis examined the chief concerns in trust decisions during the phases of trust formation, dissolution, and restoration. These trust decisions across phases give rise to trust profiles, which have not been identified in the literature before. We focused on how individual and social contextual factors affect these patterns. Our model highlights the need to consider multiple trust phases both theoretically and empirically to offer a more holistic understanding of how trust unfolds in social relationships