How Implicit Beliefs Influence Trust Recovery

Michael P. Haselhuhn, Maurice E. Schweitzer, Alison M. Wood

Psychological Science · 2010 · Volume 21 · Issue 5

Abstract

After a trust violation, some people are quick to forgive, whereas others never trust again. In this report, we identify a key characteristic that moderates trust recovery: implicit beliefs of moral character. Individuals who believe that moral character can change over time ( incremental beliefs ) are more likely to trust their counterpart following an apology and trustworthy behavior than are individuals who believe that moral character cannot change ( entity beliefs ). We demonstrate that a simple but powerful message can induce either entity or incremental beliefs about moral character.

Keywords

trust erosion, deception, implicit beliefs

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