Assessments of trust in intimate relationships and the self-perception process

Assessments of trust in intimate relationships are often based on perceptions of a partner's behaviors; however, people's own actions, increased self-awareness, and individual differences (e.g., exchange or communal orientation) may also affect their trust in their partners. Communally or exchange-oriented members of heterosexual dating couples, students in a U.S. university, displayed either trusting or irrelevant behaviors under conditions of increased self-awareness. They then completed measures of interpersonal trust. The participants' trusting behaviors significantly determined their level of trust; heightened self-awareness and a communal orientation further enhanced the participants' trust in their partners.