The 8 types of trust: what are they?

Trust is a concept widely studied by psychology. But... what are the different types?

One of the psychological variables that affect our daily life and the activities we perform is trust.It must be present in interpersonal relationships, but also in work and sport.

Confidence is key to our well-being, especially self-confidence.

• Recommended article: "The 4 types of self-esteem: do you value yourself?"

Types of confidence

But, What types of confidence are there? How can we classify them? There are eight types of confidence. Below we explain them and their different characteristics.

1. Trust in others

Trust in others is a phenomenon that is often talked about in interpersonal relationships, especially those of couples. In our article "The 7 keys to a healthy relationship" we explained that respect, fidelity, trust... are essential for love relationships to work.

Human beings are social beings, and that is why we need others to live better and to enjoy a greater psychological and emotional well-being. and emotional well-being. Having close relationships gives meaning to our lives, and having people we trust helps us to be happy.

Obviously, we cannot trust everyone, because sometimes we may come across individuals who will want to let us down, cheat us or take advantage of us, but especially those close people who have shown us that we can trust them, we should give them a vote of confidence.

Trust is not something that comes as standard, although some experts think it is innate, at least with respect to our relatives, and when we meet someone, one must earn it. Sincerity and credibility are some variables that increase or not the trust we can have in other people. we can have in other people.

• Now, what happens when we lose trust in someone, and is it possible to regain it? We explain it to you in our article "9 tips to regain someone's trust".

2. Self-confidence or self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is what is commonly known as self-confidence.It is a concept introduced by the Ukrainian-Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura in 1986, which he discussed in his Social Learning Theory. This well-known theory deals with the regulation of human motivation and action, which involves three types of expectations: situation-outcome expectations, action-outcome expectations, and perceived self-efficacy. Today I will talk to you about self-efficacy.

• To learn more, you can read our text "Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory".

Self-confidence is often confused with self-esteem, and although they are related, they are not the same.. Self-esteem is the global valuation that a person has of him/herself, while self-confidence refers to the valuation of oneself with respect to his/her capacity to perform a task and achieve a goal.

It is a concept that is closely related to personal development, since a high self-confidence allows overcoming the obstacles that may arise in the way of an individual when striving for a goal. When a person has high self-efficacy, he or she is very interested in the tasks in which he or she participates because he or she feels competent, sees problems as stimulating challenges, experiences high commitment to his or her interests and activities, and recovers quickly from failures. Fortunately, self-confidence can be worked on and improved.

Bandura believes that four important aspects are involved in a person's self-confidencePerformance achievements, which are successes and failures past experiences, rather the perception one has of them and the frequency with which they appear. Observation or vicarious experience is especially influential in those situations in which the person has little experience in performing a task. Verbal persuasion (e.g., words of encouragement) and the physiological state of the individual, which includes not only physical sensations but also emotional states, influence how the person interprets the situation.

• If you want to know how to improve self-confidence, you can follow the steps you will find in our article: "Self-confidence: discover the 7 keys to improve it".

3. False self-confidence

Sometimes, some individuals seem to show high confidence when in reality they do not trust themselves. This is known as false self-confidence, a form of protection against perceived low self-efficacy..

Subjects with false self-confidence may sometimes convince themselves that they are confident even though they are not, and may even make positive self-talk about themselves, with optimistic statements. It is a type of self-deception that does not favor personal development at all, and that allows the person to escape from the true internal state of self-confidence that in many cases is behind the "mask".

• This type of confidence can have negative consequences for the person who experiences it, as you can see in our article "False self-confidence: the heavy mask of self-deception".

4. Behavioral confidence

It has to do with the person's behaviorIt is the subject's own capacity to act positively or not, to overcome obstacles and make the right decisions that affect the individual's behavior.

5. Emotional confidence

Emotions are key to people's well-being, and their correct management makes it possible for a person to be more or less happy. With the popularity of the term emotional intelligence, it is not surprising that people talk about emotional confidence.

Some individuals fear their own emotions, but mastering the mastering the ability to understand and interpret others' own emotions, and the ability to regulate emotions to support interpersonal relationships with others, is possible with emotional confidence.and the ability to regulate emotions to favor interpersonal relationships with others is possible with emotional confidence.

6. Spiritual confidence

Refers to the faith that individuals have in the life that surrounds them and the context in which they move. and the context in which they move.

7. Simple trust

Some experts, such as the biologist Humberto Maturana, think that trust may be innate.. It is what is known as simple trust, and we are born with it. It is automatic, like trust towards our parents. It is total and complete.

8. Nurtured trust

However, in the course of life and as a result of experiences, this simple confidence can be molded. We can then maintain a high level of trust in other people, or else mistrust can appear.