Trust as a social emotion


Νίκος Δεμερτζής
Abstract
Though interrelated, the concepts of social capital and trust remain laden with ambiguity and conflicting theoretical interpretations. This article scrutinizes the differences and similarities between the rational choice and the sociological-cultural accounts of trust, and suggests that, at the final analysis, ‘trust’ is best understood as a social emotion which facilitates societal cooperation rather than as a cognitive category of utilitarian reasoning. We present qualitative and quantitative research results which underpin the theoretical framework of the article, indicating that contemporary Greek youth are highly distrustful and possess little social capital -traits that apply to the general population as well.
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