Trusting and distrusting in dialogue: A study of authentic medical consultations

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the understanding of trusting as a dynamic relational process that can vary with circumstances. Based on an analysis of a number of physician–patient consultations in a Swedish hospital, we show how consultations lead to increased trust or decreased trust and in some situations have no apparent effect. The consultations, and the accounts given in them, can lead to trusting if they correspond to the uncertainty or needs that the other party expresses, assuming willingness to collaborate and cooperate. However, counteracting distrust (perhaps using accounts) is complicated, especially when this unexpectedly becomes necessary in ongoing interaction.