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Table 2 Definitions Of Trust

From: Trust in Group Decisions: a scoping review

“The willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the [positive] expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party.” [15]

“The degree of confidence the members of a team have in the goodwill of its leader, specifically, the extent to which they believe that the leader is honest, sincere, and unbiased in taking their positions into account.” [16]

“A psychological state that manifests itself in the behaviors towards others, is based on the expectations made upon behaviors of these others, and on the perceived motives and intentions in situations entailing risk for the relationship with those others.” [17]

“Trust in individuals is an expectation or belief that actions from another party will be motivated by good intentions. Moreover, individuals take a risk in this belief because the other party may not act out of benevolence.” [18]

“Expectations, assumptions, or beliefs about the likelihood that another’s future actions will be beneficial, favorable, or at least not detrimental to one’s interests.” [19]

“A belief (held by an individual or a group) that another individual or group (a) makes good-faith efforts to behave in accordance with any commitments made both explicitly or implicitly, (b) is honest in whatever interactions preceded such commitments, and (c) would not take excessive advantage of another even when the opportunity became available.” [20]

“The extent to which a person is confident in, and willing to act on the basis of, the words, actions, and decisions of another. Critically, trust requires the presence of uncertainty and risk.” [21]

“One party’s (the trustor) confident expectation that another party (the trustee), on whom the trustor must rely, will help the trustor reach his or her goals in an environment of risk and uncertainty.” [22]

“The optimistic acceptance of a vulnerable situation in which the truster believes the trustee will care for the truster’s interests through the bracketing out of uncertainty. Empirically, we therefore delineate trust in terms of the overlooking of uncertainty and possible negative outcomes based on considerations of the motives and/or competencies of others.” [23]

“A resolve to bear an experienced risk by confiding in the new and unknown. It goes beyond the blind, unquestioning faith that an infant may have of a parent because there is an acknowledgement of past experience that denotes trust as a risk, especially where there are unknown elements. It is a decision to act in concert with others in anticipation of a return. By placing trust in others, we place ourselves in a position of vulnerability, ceding power. Trust given in the anticipation of reciprocity creates a sense of mutual obligation.” [24]

“The generalized expectation of predictable and benevolent motives and/or behavior from others.” [25]