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A Trait-State Model of Trust Propensity: Evidence From Two Career Transitions
Lisa van der Werff1, Yseult Freeney2, Charles E Lance3
1DCU Business School, Irish Institute of Digital Business, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
Frontiers in Psychology
|November 22, 2019
Summary
Trust propensity, a key aspect of trust theory, is not always stable. This study shows it has both stable (trait) and unstable (state) components, especially during career transitions, suggesting it can change over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Organizational Behavior
- Personality Science
Background:
- Trust propensity is traditionally viewed as a stable personality trait.
- Periods of career transition may represent critical junctures for personality change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability and situational specificity of trust propensity.
- To examine if trust propensity exhibits both stable (trait) and unstable (state) components during career transitions.
- To explore the relationship between trust propensity components and cognitive depletion.
Main Methods:
- Latent curve-latent state-trait modeling was employed.
- Data were collected from two distinct samples undergoing organizational socialization.
- Correlates of trust propensity, including cognitive depletion, were examined in a second study.
Main Results:
- Evidence supports the existence of both stable (trait) and unstable (state) components of trust propensity.
- Trust propensity demonstrated potential for change over time, particularly during career transitions.
- State and trait trust propensity were found to be related to cognitive depletion.
Conclusions:
- Trust propensity is not solely a stable, trait-like variable.
- Situational factors, such as career transitions, can influence the state component of trust propensity.
- Findings challenge core assumptions of trust theory regarding the immutability of trust propensity.
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