The social context of trust relations

In the widest sense, this paper focuses on the problematization (and operationalization) of the concept of trust and its social context, with a special emphasis on its multiple meanings, the ways of establishing trust, as well as its functions. After pointing to the various definitions of trust that highlight its cognitive, behavioral, and relational groundings, we proceed to examine the aspects of 'social embeddedness' of trust. In this context, we highlight the structural aspect of trust relations, their institutional embeddedness, mediation through cultural meanings, as well as the wider context of social circumstances and limitations. We place a special emphasis on the concept of 'trust culture', its morphogenesis and functions, as well as the significance of trust culture in the context of diminishing the social uncertainty that arises in the situations when trust is demonstrated. Finally, we point to the social functions of trust on the macro level, the functional substitutes for trust, as well as the relationship between trust and social capital.