Trust Development: A Discussion of Three Approaches and a Proposed Alternative

The importance of building a trusting relationship with clients has been acknowledged and emphasized by helping professions such as social work, psychotherapy, nursing, and medicine. A review of literature reveals the presence of three approaches to trust development, each emphasizing one of the com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal of social work 2008-10, Vol.38 (7), p.1425-1441
Main Author: Behnia, Behnam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Client Relations
Conceptualization
definition of the situation
Helping professions
initial trust
Interactionism
Nursing
perceived self
Professional relationships
Psychological counseling
Psychotherapy
Publishing industry
Self
Self Concept
Social interaction
Social psychology
Social Work
Social workers
Torture
Trust
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Summary:The importance of building a trusting relationship with clients has been acknowledged and emphasized by helping professions such as social work, psychotherapy, nursing, and medicine. A review of literature reveals the presence of three approaches to trust development, each emphasizing one of the components of a trusting relationship: the client's trusting attitude, the professional's trusting characteristics, and the characteristics of the relationship that exists between the client and the professional. The contention of this paper is that the trust described by these approaches is the initial trust necessary for starting a relationship with a service provider. However, to disclose intimate information, the client and professional need to develop a trust deeper than the initial trust. Drawing on the theoretical insights of the symbolic interactionist perspective, this paper presents a fourth approach to trust development. In this approach, trust is conceived as the outcome of a complex process involving the interpretation of the situation in which the interacting client and service provider find themselves.
ISSN:0045-3102
1468-263X
DOI:10.1093/bjsw/bcm053