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Compensatory Institutional Trust: A “Dark Side” of Trust

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Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Trust

Abstract

Trust scholars emphasize the importance of trust research given that trust is integral to societal functioning. However, evidence suggests there is a “dark side” to trust. We discuss a specific facet of the dark side of individuals’ trust in institutions, which we call compensatory institutional trust. We review theory and evidence suggesting that individuals’ trust in institutions can be generated in order to satisfy psychological needs. Specifically, when experiencing threats to safety, security, or a sense of meaning and understanding, individuals will sometimes trust institutions more than otherwise. A motivated increase in the perception that institutions are trustworthy may palliate existential and epistemic threats. We detail theoretical perspectives that speak to compensatory institutional trust, namely, terror management theory, theory on system-justifying beliefs, compensatory control theory, and the meaning maintenance model. We emphasize these perspectives’ relations to compensatory institutional trust by reviewing illustrative empirical examples of compensatory institutional trust-relevant processes. Altogether, we aim to illuminate the utility of the compensatory institutional trust framework in shedding light on psychological processes that may underlie findings in the trust literature. Ultimately, we make a call to trust researchers to not neglect addressing this dark side of institutional trust in their scholarship.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We remain agnostic with regard to theoretical differentiation between trust in institutions and trust in the individuals within institutions because that is not within the scope of this chapter. For further discussion of this issue, see Campos-Castillo et al. (2016) as well as Herian and Neal (2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0228, USA

    Ellie Shockley Ph.D.

  2. Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, 74106, USA

    Steven Shepherd Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Ellie Shockley Ph.D.
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  2. Steven Shepherd Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Ellie Shockley Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska, LINCOLN, Nebraska, USA

    Ellie Shockley

  2. Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Tess M.S. Neal

  3. Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Lisa M. PytlikZillig

  4. Psychology, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Brian H. Bornstein

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Shockley, E., Shepherd, S. (2016). Compensatory Institutional Trust: A “Dark Side” of Trust. In: Shockley, E., Neal, T., PytlikZillig, L., Bornstein, B. (eds) Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Trust. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22261-5_11

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