The limitations of trust in intimate relationships: constructions of trust and sexual risk taking.

This paper challenges the assumption that trust is a generally desirable, static, measurable attitude of the individual. A reconceptualization of trust as situationally specific, negotiated and purposeful social action is proposed. Data presented in this paper are based on a series of semi-structured interviews with 16 heterosexual individuals. The interview agenda included questions about respondents' sexual behaviour within the context of HIV/AIDS. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. Parker's (1992) version of the discourse analytic method guided the analysis of the transcripts. Three discursive constructions of trust were identified: trust-as-security, trust-as-symbolic-practice and trust-as-social-regulation. All of these were employed by respondents in order to justify sexual risk taking. The paper traces the ways in which these constructions are deployed and discusses their implications for relationship dynamics. Further research into the ways of 'doing trust', both publicly and privately, is called for.