Distrust becomes socially visible through distrustful behavior

Evidence

If there is a swing from trust to distrust – and the same is true in the rarer reverse case – then the distruster adapts his behaviour to this new pattern of expectation and thus makes his change of attitude socially apparent. Distrust is made manifest by distrustful behaviour. Interpersonal behaviour is not a matter merely of ad hoc experience but something interpreted in terms of underlying ‘attitudes’, and used for the formation of expectations. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 271

Categorization

• XREF: Relevant to Giddens’s facework — both trust and distrust must be enacted socially to be perceived, which is exactly how Stevens’s devotion becomes a visible role. — connects to: Distrust is a self-reinforcing, self-fulfilling social dynamic.; In simple societies distrust is itself punished as a breach of law.; Vague ‘suspicious behavior’ guidance leads citizens to profile by appearance (+3 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 271

Broader Connections

• Distrust is a self-reinforcing, self-fulfilling social dynamic. #expands (0.75)