Social Relations Model Analyses of Perceived Self‐Control and Trust in Families

• Author: Merel Siersema,Lydia Krabbendam,Catrin Finkenauer,Asuman Buyukcan‐Tetik,Karin Vander Heyden
• Date: 01 February 2015
• Published date: 01 February 2015
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12154

A B-T VU University Amsterdam

C F VU University Amsterdam∗

M S VU University Amsterdam∗∗

K V H  L K VU University Amsterdam∗∗∗

Social Relations Model Analyses of Perceived

Self-Control and Trust in Families

How do people know which family member is

trustworthy? In this study, the authors tested

the hypothesis that people use their perception

of a family member’s self-control as an indica-

tor of his or her trustworthiness. Eighty-four

Dutch families consisting of 2 parents and 2

children completed questionnaires assessing

each family member’s trust in and perceived

self-control of the other 3 family members.

This full-family design enabled the authors to

examine their hypothesis in horizontal relation-

ships,between family members of equal status

(i.e., parent–parent and sibling–sibling rela-

tionships), and vertical relationships,in which

partners have unequal status (i.e., parent–child

Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU

University Amsterdam, Vander Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT

Amsterdam, the Netherlands (a.buyukcantetik@vu.nl).

∗Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU

University Amsterdam, and the EMGO Institute for Health

and Care Research, Vander Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT

Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

∗∗Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU

University Amsterdam, Vander Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT

Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

∗∗∗Department of Educational Neuroscience, VU

University Amsterdam, and LEARN! Research Institute for

Learning and Education, Vander Boechorststraat 1, 1081

BT Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Key Words: family relationships, self-control, Social

Relations Model, trust.

and child–parent relationships). Consistent with

the hypothesis, Social Relations Model analyses

showed that being perceived as having higher

self-control is related to greater trustworthiness

among adults and children in the large majority

of horizontal and vertical relationships (10 out

of 12). These ndings highlight that perceived

self-control is an important factor by which to

gauge trustworthiness in families.

Interpersonal trust is a key factor for har-

monious relationships. It is crucial for

relationships between intimate relationship

partners (Wieselquist, Rusbult, Forster, &

Agnew, 1999), between parents and children

(Kerr, Stattin, & Trost, 1999), and between

siblings (Martin, Anderson, Burant, & Weber,

1997). Trust is associated with greater close-

ness, higher relationship quality, and more

positive communication between the people

who trust—trusters—and the people who are

trusted—trustees. Previous research mostly has

focused on how trust differs across family rela-

tionships (Buist, Dekovic, Meeus, & van Aken,

2004; Delsing, Oud, De Bruyn, & van Aken,

2003) and on dispositional characteristics that

can make family members more or less trusting

(e.g., Sorrentino, Holmes, Hanna, & Sharp,

1995). These studies demonstrate that trust

varies considerably across family members and

across family relationships (Buist et al., 2004).

Journal of Marriage and Family 77 (February 2015): 209–223 209

DOI:10.1111/jomf.12154