THE LIMITATIONS OF TRUST IN INTIMATE-RELATIONSHIPS - CONSTRUCTIONS OFTRUST AND SEXUAL RISK-TAKING

This paper challenges the assumption that trust is a generally desirab le, static, measurable attitude of the individual. A reconceptualizati on of trust as situationally specific, negotiated and purposeful socia l action is proposed. Data presented in this paper are based on a seri es of semi-structured interviews with 16 heterosexual individuals. The interview agenda included questions about respondents' sexual behavio ur within the context of HIV/AIDS. All interviews mere rape-recorded a nd transcribed. Parker's (1992) version of the discourse analytic meth od guided the analysis of the transcripts. Three discursive constructi ons of trust were identified: trust-as-security trust-as-symbolic-prac tice and trust-as-social-regulation. All of these were employed by res pondents in order to justify sexual risk taking. The paper traces the ways in which these constructions are deployed and discusses their imp lications for relationship dynamics. Further research into the ways of 'doing trust', both publicly and privately, is called for.