Psychologists Off the Clock 434. How Trust Works with Peter H. Kim
Nov 19, 2025
Peter H. Kim, a professor at USC Marshall School of Business, dives deep into the intricacies of trust based on his two decades of research. He reveals why trust is vital despite vulnerability, distinguishing between true trust and mere appearances of trustworthiness. Kim outlines how trust violations can stem from competence or integrity issues and discusses the significance of effective apologies. He emphasizes the importance of exploring context in trust breaches and highlights the role of shared values in rebuilding connections.
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Trust Is Vulnerability Not Mere Behavior
- Trust is a willingness to be vulnerable when real risk exists rather than just behaving as if you trust.
- Safeguards can reduce risk but often lower perceived trust because cooperation is attributed to the guardrails.
Two Core Dimensions Drive Trust
- Trust judgments rest mainly on competence and integrity, with benevolence highly correlated with integrity.
- We weigh positive and negative information asymmetrically across these two dimensions.
Why Some Violations Never Fade
- Competence violations are forgiven more readily because positive signals later are seen as diagnostic.
- Integrity violations stick: a single negative act outweighs later positive signals.
