TRUST BARRIERS TO INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Trust is the lifeblood of all interpersonal and social relationships. Gaining and maintaining trust in
interpersonal relationships is a long and ongoing process that requires continuous investment. Many studies show
that people naturally react more strongly to dishonesty than to any other trait. One of the biggest causes of mistrust
is the different ways of looking at the world resulting from different typological orientations. Different personality
types are often not communicated on the "same frequency". Believing in people that they can do the best on their
own leads to greater inefficiency and dissatisfaction. Whether the message will be well understood depends on: the
content, the choice of certain signals, the way of communication, the form (the functioning of the verbal and nonverbal
communication system). There are many barriers to intercultural communication such as anxiety, stereotypes,
prejudice, non-verbal interactions, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, racism, discrimination and acceptance of similarities
instead of differences (Zhu, 2020, p. 1651-1655). Trust is a part of many factors. Reciprocity and the exchange of
information by revealing the factors that led to mistrust in intercultural communication are key elements in
maintaining relationships.
Trust is necessary because no one is independent of others, no one is self-sufficient, we are all interdependent in
terms of meeting basic needs. The overall characterization of trust as a complex, multifaceted phenomenon can be
classified according to different distinguishing criteria, primarily between interpersonal and institutional, vertical
and horizontal trust. Interpersonal trust refers to the belief that most people can be trusted, while institutional trust
includes trust in various institutions, such as the government, judiciary, health system, education system, media, etc.
Vertical means trust in public organizations (government, church, trade unions, etc.), and horizontally - trust
between people, independent of their various forms of social consciousness (custom, morality, religion), belonging
to macrosocial groups (nation, race, class) and of different social status (gender, age, education). The importance of
reputation is reflected in the fact that it is in a sense an investment, i.e. a resource that allows us to obtain other
important resources, among which is the trust of others and all the benefits that trust brings (Eisenegger, 2009, p. 11-
23).