Horizontal distrust among subordinates follows from vertical inequality

Evidence

There is a further problem in power relations. The subordinates may come actively to distrust one another. For example, courtiers are commonly in contest with other courtiers over who has the greatest favor of the powerful king. The French court in Versailles elevated vacuity to its high status in self-defense against the harms that could befall anyone who ventured to say anything with real content that might be reported to the king. — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 478

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

• XREF: Mirrors Saramago’s blind internees who turn on each other rather than uniting against the guards — distrust spreads horizontally in dense, powerless groups.

Related

• Subordinates under a powerful superior may come to distrust one another (similarity 0.90)
• Distrust of the powerful poisons trust among the powerless as well (similarity 0.83)
• Great power differentials make distrust spread contagiously among the weaker parties (similarity 0.82)
• Power inequalities block trust because the strong lack encapsulated interest (similarity 0.79)