Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education The Trust Paradox An Inquiry into the Core of Social Life May-Britt Ellingsen A dissertation for the degree of Doctor Philosophiae May 2014
THE TRUST PARADOX An inquiry into the core of social life
May-Britt Ellingsen
A dissertation for the degree of Doctor Philosophiae
UNIVERSITETET I TROMS THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
Troms, May 2014
ContentPreface ........................................................................................................................................ 1
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Background: erosion of trust? ................................................................................... 3
1.2 Method: a theoretical exploration of empirical grounding ....................................... 4
1.3 Focus and aims .......................................................................................................... 7
1.4 Social construction of trust: the development of mutual understanding ................... 8
1.5 Three social bases for trust ....................................................................................... 9
1.6 The trust paradox .................................................................................................... 13
1.7 Reconfiguration of trust .......................................................................................... 16
1.8 Contribution and structure of the thesis .................................................................. 18
PART I LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY..23
2. Conceptual diversity in the trust literature ...................................................................... 23
2.1 Trust and process perspectives ................................................................................ 24
2.2 A multitude of perspectives on trust ....................................................................... 26
2.3 Trust from a sociological perspective ..................................................................... 27
2.4 Trust - individual cognition and social construction ............................................... 29
2.5 Relational forms of trust ......................................................................................... 31
2.6 Conclusion definition and further development .................................................. 39
3. Grounded theory: Methodological roots .......................................................................... 42
3.1 The empirical work and fit of concepts .................................................................. 42
3.2 Grounded theory two intellectual traditions in one method ................................. 44
3.3 Three methods in one? ............................................................................................ 45
3.4 Intellectual roots in positivism and pragmatism ..................................................... 47
3.5 Classic, Glaserian grounded theory ........................................................................ 49
3.6 Positivism and constructivism in grounded theory ................................................. 51
3.7 Conclusion: grounded theory and development of cumulative knowledge ............ 53
4. Sociological inspiration: A look into the black box ........................................................ 55
4.1 Positioning or preconceptions ................................................................................. 55
4.2 Constructing trust .................................................................................................... 57
4.3 A trust producing system ........................................................................................ 60
4.5 Mutual understanding and common codes ............................................................. 62
4.5 An empirical example: the economic man as system code .................................. 64
4.6 Conclusion: towards a cumulative development of knowledge ............................. 67
5. From substantive to sociologically grounded theory ....................................................... 69
5.1 Substantive grounded theory main procedural steps ........................................... 70
5.2 Empirical insight - a basis for theory generation .................................................... 73
5.3 Coding and categories ............................................................................................. 75
5.4 Thinking conceptually ............................................................................................ 76
5.5 Coding and theory generation - an empirical example ........................................... 78
5.6 Theoretical codes and sociological sense-making .................................................. 80
5.7 Literature studies and preconceptions ..................................................................... 82
5.8 Towards a formal grounded theory and the trust paradox ...................................... 83
5.9 Generation of formal grounded theory a door into sociology .............................. 85
5.10 Basic social processes and macro analyses in grounded theory ............................. 88
5.11 Rejection of existing theory ................................................................................... 90
5.12 Integration of existing theory - a process with four positions ............................... 91
5.13 Conclusion: A formal grounded theory of trust? ................................................... 95
5.14 Contributions and further research ......................................................................... 97
PART II THEORY AND INTEGRATION. ...101
6. Trust mutual understanding and dynamic social construction ................................... 101
6.1 The social construction of trust ............................................................................. 102
6.2 Trust and expectations .......................................................................................... 103
6.3 Reduction of social risk and complexity the function of trust ........................... 105
6.4 Mutual understanding a shared promise ............................................................ 108
6.5 Mutual understanding a tacit agreement ............................................................ 113
6.6 Development of mutual understanding ................................................................. 116
6.7 Mutual understanding and social scripts ............................................................... 119
6.8 Conclusion: mutual understanding - a key to the social construction of trust ...... 122
7. Pre-contractual trust ....................................................................................................... 125
7.1 Pre-contractual trust a taken for granted common social basis .......................... 125
7.2 Pre-contractual trust and institutions .................................................................... 130
7.3 Social order and pre-contractual trust ................................................................... 133
7.4 Pre-contractual trust and culture ........................................................................... 135
7.5 Pre-contractual trust and change a state challenged by events .......................... 137
7.6 Pre-contractual trust a dynamic social quality ................................................... 139
7.7 Conclusion: reconstruction of pre-contractual trust the well of trust? ............... 141
8. Pre-contractual trust and social change ......................................................................... 143
8.1 Familiarity an individual and structural frame of reference .............................. 144
8.2 Familiarity a pre-contractual key to social change and trust ............................. 148
8.3 Confidence a question of power and fiduciary obligations ............................... 151
8.4 Confidence and the power to choose exit ............................................................. 154
8.5 Pre-contractual trust conclusions and further questions .................................... 158
9. Relational trust ............................................................................................................... 161
9.1 Relational trust and familiarity ............................................................................. 162
9.2 Three bases for relational trust .............................................................................. 164
9.3 Mediated familiarity an expanding social basis ................................................. 166
9.4 Ascribed familiarity a diminishing quality? ...................................................... 168
9.5 Relational trust and expectations a model of expectations ................................ 174
9.6 A model of expectations ....................................................................................... 175
9.7 Additional examples of the expectation model ..................................................... 180
9.8 Conclusion: Relational trust and social change .................................................... 183
10. Structural trust .........
