Features of trust and distrust formation and functioning: the cognitive aspect

The article puts forward the necessity to investigate mental component of «trust» («distrust»), regardingboth phenomena as products of reasoning and consciousness. The article aims at developing a scheme for themental component relying on the main theoretical principles of V. Yadov’s dispositional concept. One of theelements of his dispositional theory is the study of action imperatives as starting points for capturing therelationship between the worldview of the individual and readiness for action resulting from this worldview.

The action imperative is a component that assists in understanding the nature of thinking mode accompanying certainprocesses and underlying behavioural patterns of the group or individual. Therefore, «trust» («distrust») may beinterpreted as the action imperative comprising cognitive, emotional assessment and connotative constituents. Theinteraction between cognitive and emotional assessment constituents generates social expectancy which is realisedthrough the connotative constituent, such as an imperative. The article describes the process of formulation andreplication of trust in society, key elements of which are the realisation of expectations, the interaction of cognitiveand emotional assessment constituents, the formulation of «trust» («distrust») imperatives and action (behavior).

The conclusion indicates that not only does the study of reasoning component allow to demonstrate the level of«trust» («distrust») of individuals or society towards a number of social 165 SUMMARIES groups, institutions orprocesses, but also to understand the formation and functioning mechanisms of these sociocultural phenomena inthe context of consciousness. It is worthwhile to further investigate the peculiarities of transformation of thereasoning component under the influence of different factors existing within the Ukrainian society crisis.