Posts: 1027
From: South Carolina
Registered: Apr 2009

posted August 26, 2012 09:35 PM            

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A study by a group of psychologists offers some insight into the psychology issue of trust- both violation and repair. Psychological scientist Maurice Schweitzer, an expert on organisations and decision making, decided to explore the idea of trust 'recovery'. He wanted to see if basic beliefs about moral 'character' influence trust violations and forgiveness. They also wanted to see if they could modify those beliefs- and in doing so make people more or less forgiving.

The psychologists recruited a large group of volunteers to play a game involving breaches of trust and reparations. But before the game started, they primed the volunteers with different beliefs about moral character. Some were nudged to believe that people can change- that people can and do become more ethical and trustworthy if they sincerely set their minds to it. The others were primed with the opposite belief- basically that scoundrels will always be scoundrels. This core belief is easy to manipulate, and the researchers did it here simply by having the volunteers read essays arguing for one belief or the other.

The trust game that followed goes like this: You have £6, which you can either keep or give to another person. If you give it away, it triples in value to £18, which the recipient can either keep or split with you, £9 apiece. So initially giving away the £6 is obviously an act of trust. But in order to study trust recovery, the psychologists put the volunteers through several rounds of the game. In the early rounds, the recipient (actually a computer) violated trust by keeping the £6 a couple of times in a row. Then the recipient apologised and promised to be more trustworthy from now on. Then there was one final opportunity to be either trusting or not.

So does believing in the possibility of change shape people's ability to forgive- and trust again? It does, dramatically. As the psychologists reported , they easily eroded trust and they also easily restored it- but only in those who believed in moral improvement. Those who believed in a fixed moral character, incapable of change, were much less likely to regain their trust after they were betrayed. Remember, their moral beliefs- either fixed or flexible had been manipulated.

These results have practical implications for anyone trying to make amends and reestablish trust- in recovery, in business, in love, and even in politics. Apologies and promises may not be enough in some cases, and indeed it may be more effective to send a convincing message about the human potential for real moral transformation.

The best way to send that message, of course, may be to act like a changed person.

Sincerity indeed!

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Posts: 91
From: Hampshire, England
Registered: May 2009

posted September 05, 2012 07:15 AM            

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This is a great post! Thank you.

In my opinion, your character is fixed by your upbringing around the age of seven; fundamental changes to your character are more unlikely to happen to you after that age.

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