How Trustful Are You Of Others?

[A Link In Time]

Hello there. It’s time for another self evaluation thread.

One of the most important characteristics of any successful relationship is trust between the people involved in it. Mistrust breeds doubt which in turn creates conflicts from seemingly minor misunderstandings.

In recent years, schooling has seen a greater emphasis on group work. Whether it’s an extracurricular coach urging you to “take one for the team” or a cooperative academic experience, such exercise is allegedly beneficial for future functions in the work place.

How trustful are you of others? Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature-people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind? Are there certain demographics you trust more than others? Would you trust an enemy who claims to be honest with information he or she deems imperative to your knowledge?

 

[Sydney]

How trustful are you of others? Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature-people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind? Are there certain demographics you trust more than others? Would you trust an enemy who claims to be honest with information he or she deems imperative to your knowledge?

I don't trust others until I know them very well. Hell, I have best friends that I don't even trust (mainly because they're notorious liars, but they're still great company). Humans are selfish, we're known to be a selfish race. Although we differ per person, every single one of us is a little bit selfish on the inside. Even though we may sometimes be hesitant to do so, we think of ourselves before we think of others. Therefore it's hard to trust and rely on other people, or at least it is for me anyway.

I typically trust my family more than I trust others. This is simply because, well, they're family. It seems a little cruel to not trust your family, unless you have a good reason not to of course. As far as my enemy goes, why should I trust them? If they became my enemy, doesn't that already mean they've lost my trust to begin with? Even if the situation was dire, I still doubt I would give them even an ounce of my trust. My answer would be a clear no.

 

[octorok74]

I've been told I have a habit of being too trusting of others. And I would say that that is somewhat true. I can spot a liar no problem, but I like to also give people the benefit of the doubt. I also don't call someone a friend unless I trust them. If I can't trust them then I consider them a pal or something lower. But overall I am pretty trusting of others.

 

[Ventus]

I'm pretty trustful of others. Of course, if I see some random person coming towards me, I'll assume a slightly defensive position. And if there's a person with a consistent record of bad habits, I'll be darn wary of them. But most of the time, I trust people as I see 'em.

Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature-people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind?
Well this is a tricky one. I believe every human being naturally has greed and self-pleasing motives in the back of their mind. Face it, we're people who are primarily selfish even if we campaign for others to be selfless. We always have ourselves in mind, and we'd prefer to escape alive than our contemporaries. But, at the very same time, we are social creatures! So, in a way, I'd like to say that humans are selfishly attached to each other.

Are there certain demographics you trust more than others?
Nope. Anyone can be as truthful and sincere as they wish.

Would you trust an enemy who claims to be honest with information he or she deems imperative to your knowledge?
An enemy? Information imperative to my knowledge/safety? While I'd laugh about it over text, in real life you never know if the "enemy" is sincere or not. I'd take what I know about the guy into context, keep away from any sharp points and hear out this "information" he might have. Play my enemy for a fool, essentially.

 

[bunny]

I am pretty quick to trust others. It often backfires, but on the bright side, I make friends really fast. I would say that I trust most of my friends in real life so much that I'd tell or do anything for them. I have told several of my friends my deepest, darkest secrets, and to this day they haven't told a single soul. On the other hand, I have told a few people things that I really wish I hadn't; it took them maybe 5 minutes tops until they told somebody... As for my friends on here, I don't think there's anyone that I'd keep a secret from. I trust you guys a lot.

Also, not only do I trust others easily, but I become quickly attached as well. So even if a friend of mine spills the beans, I'd just forgive them and keep being friends. Like I said before though, it backfires. I was once in a relationship with a cheater. He'd lie to my face and I'd still forgive him every single time. I have problems with saying no to people... If I thought someone was my enemy, but they claimed they were on my side, I'd probably be a bit suspicious, but I'd definitely try to help them if it seemed like it was the right thing to do. Basically, I'll trust almost anyone.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

I'm too trusting of others. Rather naively so, in fact, something I'm trying to correct. It's my automatic response to assume the best of others I meet. Not total strangers, mind you; if I see someone I have no clue about walking up to me I assume they're out to rob me and assume an extremely defensive position. But for people I have cursory knowledge about, I tend to think that they have good intentions. This has gotten me screwed over innumerable times in the past, so I'm working on becoming more discerning and learning to spot when they're lying or when they only have their own interests in mind, instead of becoming bitter and assuming everybody's out to screw me over.

Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature-people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind?

I'm very bipolar in this regard. My automatic response is that people can work selflessly to advance a common good, but then when I start thinking about it more I tend to think of everyone as evil, selfish ingrates only interested in their own desires.

Are there certain demographics you trust more than others?
Sadly, yes. This is something left over from hanging out with my father for too long. For the past few summers I have gone home after college gets out to help out around the house, and unfortunately my dad's blunt racism has rubbed off onto me. I am doing everything I can to rid myself of these nasty habits, but they still manifest unconsciously when dealing with strangers of a different demographic than me.

Would you trust an enemy who claims to be honest with information he or she deems imperative to your knowledge?
I don't really have any enemies, so I can't really say with certainty. But if someone like that were to approach me with that imperative knowledge I'd at least hear them out before choosing whether to disregard said information.

 

[Mcjoejoejoe]

Way too trustful. I'll trust just about anyone who thinks I'm funny or is even remotely or indirectly kind to me. Then I expect them to trust me and get frustrated when they don't.
Working on that.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Hello there. It’s time for another self evaluation thread.
How trustful are you of others?

Skeptical at best. I'm a student of history. I'm well-read on what humanity is capable of doing. I'm also informed by my own personal experience, which has often created a dim view overall.

Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature

I find myself seeing eye to eye with Thomas Hobbes on more than one occasion, if that tells you anything. That being said, the singular person has the capacity to be intelligent, thoughtful, caring, wise, and even selfless. As a group, we tend to be ignorant sheep that do remarkably short-sighted things. Never trust a mob.

people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind?

True altruism is really only commonly seen in dogs and other animals. And dogs only because we've spent 10,000 years breeding them that way. I'm not saying it's impossible in humans, but I need to see a flash of it first. Humans, like dogs, elephants, and sturgeon, are animals. As such, one of our primary instincts is self-preservation and it's attendant instinct, greed.

Are there certain demographics you trust more than others?

If by demographics you mean race, then no. I tend to be more wary with the young, as I'm lied to by them every day at work.

Would you trust an enemy who claims to be honest with information he or she deems imperative to your knowledge?

If they're my enemy, I'm probably already assuming I can't trust them. Under this specific context, there is a level of calculated risk that surrounds whether I choose to trust the information or not.

 

[LalaCoyoteGamer]

Having lived in pretty dangerous areas where I had to be on guard all the time, I regard everyone on the street as having the potential to be an enemy. I don't greet people badly - I say "hi" or "good morning/evening" to people and strike up conversations now and then, and I've seen random acts of kindness between people before. I've also been on both the giving and receiving end of such acts. However, it's just built into me to be on guard, because not being on guard, earlier in my life, would have gotten me killed - or worse. I don't think all people are inherently bad, or good, but I've seen cruelty on much wider scale than I have kindness.

I definitely don't trust my family, though! My family is eerily similar to drow families in the Forgotten Realms in a lot of respects. It's pretty much a, "we're friends while I get something out of it, but if I can benefit from screwing you over, I'll do it without a second thought," kind of deal with most of them. And I have been on the receiving end of THAT far too many times to believe anything that comes out of any of their mouths.

 

[DeletedUser9]

ALIT you always prompt me to make weird responses to your threads. :bleh: I'll answer this in stages...

How trustful are you of others?

Not often, but completely; there are very, very few people I trust. Or I guess I should say, very few people I trust very much, because I trust everyone to some degree. Most of my enemies I would trust to not stab me, for example. They're not that bad. The people I do truly trust, I trust almost completely. Like this is take-a-bullet-for-and-would-be-surprised-if-they-didn't-do-the-same territory. :xd: Although, I would say that I don't trust anyone to never change. That brings me to the next point.

Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature-people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind?

Both. I believe people essentially are good -- though people definitely have the potential for evil and everyone does something bad at some point -- but I believe it's because they are selfish. I consider a person's moral impulses, their moral compass, to be based on a selfish desire; they inherently feel good doing what they feel is right. Selfishness, in extremes, is destructive, and therefore is the opposite of true selfishness: It hurts a person's reputation, damages friendships, and loses them assets. A truly, effectively selfish person, would actually be kind to everyone, because frankly there's just more to gain.

So I believe humans are capable of doing bad, but I also believe they're capable of doing good. My trust in people isn't really defined in any way by this. I just think everyone is capable of both and everyone is capable of changing. Someone good can become bad and vice versa, so my trust in people evolves as they do. Them being selfish doesn't hurt my trust in them -- if anything it just makes it easier to know (trust) what they will or will not do because they're predictable -- unless the way they approach it is destructive, or their whims are chaotic. It depends. It's a case-by-case thing that's dependent on the person.

Are there certain demographics you trust more than others? Would you trust an enemy who claims to be honest with information he or she deems imperative to your knowledge?

Possibly, at least in terms of beliefs and ideologies. I believe certain ideologies are inherently destructive while others are inherently constructive, so chances are I will be a bit quicker to trust someone who I believe has a constructive belief system because, at base, they are already doing something that to me is worthy of trust. These are not absolutes though, and I've given trust or taken trust away from people whom I otherwise might disagree with or agree with, respectively.

I might trust that enemy. It depends on how well I know them. Again, even if you don't really trust a person overall, you can generally trust in them to have certain consistent behaviors or desires. It's just a matter of how well you know them.

 

[GirlWithAFairy]

Honestly I prolly trust people too much. I donno, its kind of hit or miss because as a whole I hate humanity, as individuals I like a lot of people. I try to give everyone a chance tho, because I do feel everyone deserves a chance. Break my trust or piss me off tho.... it all goes downhill from there and you have to clawyour way back up the hill after I dump oil on it and set it on fire.

 

[Linknerd09]

I know to trust others if I know the person very well. I don't like to trust anyone if the person tends to tell on me or back-stabs me. I don't trust on strangers that won't trust me. Trust is a thing you earn from others if you return to the favor to the person. I do trust someone like a best friend, relative, or a stranger if he/she trusts me.

 

[OcarinaBoy]

I am slightly inclined to trust people until I have found the person to be untrustworty. There are times when I have a gut feeling to not trust someone, but other than that, I have a neutral to slightly trusting attitude toward strangers. I either trust or do not trust people that I have known for long periods of time, as I now know what they are like.

 

[Shadsie]

I don't trust humans, in general. I've been hurt and betrayed by far too many people for it, and I'm pretty sure we all have fangs we're hiding. That's pretty much how I see human nature - People talk big about peace, love and brotherhood, but there's always going to be someone or some "type" they really don't want to share peace, love and brotherhood with, when it comes down to it. At the very least, there are those people that people who talk big about kindness just don't know how to deal with. I don't know if it's becuase I'm not-neurotypical, but it seems like I'm always doing something to get on the bad side of people I begin to trust - I get hurt - so I don't open myself to trust.

That's not to say that I'm completely devoid of trust. A few people have managed to get close to me - like my fiancee', whom I trust more than anyone because he stays by me even in my paranoid moments. I'll say a whole heck of a lot about myself online primarily because there's some "distance" inherent in the Internet, making people I talk to on it "text on a screen" enough that I feel like I can share a lot of myself becuase none of you interact with me in real-space or have any authority to affect my life. - Still, just sharing stuff online doesn't mean I actually *trust* you, it just means "You're on the Internet and you don't know me in real life, so what can you do to me if you know some of the darker or embarassing stuff?"

I don't mean to come off as a cynical, above-it-all person, it's just that honestly, I have huge problems with trust.

 

[Castle]

I am afraid that any educational attempts at fostering trust between students has largely failed. More than likely due to the abysmal state of education. Instead society has encouraged a widespread "me first" mentality. Rarely do I ever witness somebody doing their job, much less doing it well or even exceptionally. Ripping off consumers has practically become standard business practice. Entitlements are completely out of control. It has become so bad from what I have seen that I always expect to be cheated, used, failed, letdown, or betrayed by someone and those times when I am not come as pleasant surprises. Isn't that terrible? That when somebody does the right thing it is the exception rather than the norm?

More often than not I see somebody doing someone a favor because they expect something in return, not just for the sake of doing so. So I approach every relationship with caution, business or personal. To me friendship is about honesty. In order to be my friend one must prove to me that they can be unconditionally honest with me. The truth is very important to me, even when it hurts. I am nothing but honest with my friends and I expect them to be as honest with me. I wish I didn't have to be so guarded around people. I wish I could be free and open and generous with them but I know better. Ya gotta look out for yourself and not be used. Unfortunately that is how most people seem to view each other. As tools to be used, abused, and subsequently discarded. It is a harsh reality that I wish was not true. Maybe someday people will start feeling differently about each other and start demonstrating much more respect.

Do you hold a generally favorable view of human nature-people can work together selflessly for a common good or do you believe others seek to advance their selfish intentions prompting hesitancy in the back of your mind?

I believe people can work together selflessly for a common good even when it means advancing their own interest, but in large part people do not. They instead seek to advance their selfish intentions. These people must view life as a competition. It is more than possible to cooperate and help others while still helping yourself. This is better for everyone. You needn't necessarily sacrifice anything to do so. Unfortunately many people seem to think that by getting ahead they have to drag somebody down. Far too many people are just spiteful, vindictive or ignorant like that.

Are there certain demographics you trust more than others?

Demographics can give a pretty clear indication of how an individual is likely to act. This can help form a more or less solid basis on how to interact with them, but I never act or make conclusions based on demographics. People deserve better than to be judged on such superficial basis. Unfortunately, often times people do act according to their demographics.