Asking Korean adolescents and their parents why they trust each other, the study found trust rests less on ability than on the relationship itself, sacrifice, emotional support, and sincerity and honesty.
The Basis of Trust in Relationships: Indigenous Psychological Analysis of Adolescents and Their Parents
청소년과 부모의 인간관계를 통해 본 신뢰의식: 토착심리학적 접근
QUESTION
Why do adolescents trust their parents, teachers, and friends, and why do parents trust their children, spouses, and teachers — and what does this reveal about the indigenous psychology of trust in Korean relationships?
FINDINGS
The top reason adolescents trust their father is “father’s sacrifice,” named by about 3 in 10.
'아버지의 희생'(30.2%) 이라는 반응이 10명 중에서 3명 정도로 가장 많 이 지적되었다The response “father’s sacrifice” (30.2%) was cited most often, by about 3 in 10.p10Koreans showed a clear tendency to trust a particular relationship itself — “because they’re my parents,” “because they’re my family” — rather than the other person’s individual traits.
특정 관계에 대해 무조건적이고 절대적인 신뢰 를 하는 것으로 확인되었다It was confirmed that they place unconditional and absolute trust in particular relationships.p25개인의 개별적인 특성에 초점을 두고 신뢰관계를 형성하는 것이 아니라…do not form trust relationships by focusing on the individual characteristics of the person, but…p25'내 아버지이니까, 내 어머니이니까, 내 부모 이니까, 내 가족이니까 믿는다고 응답하였다They answered, “I trust him/her because he is my father, because she is my mother, because they are my parents, because they are my family.”p25Emotional support — the exchange of feelings — rather than reason and logic was the core basis of trust.
정서교류적인 지원이 신뢰의 기 반으로 핵심적인 역할을 하는 것으로 나타났다Emotionally interactive support was shown to play a core role as the basis of trust.p26이성과 합리에 기초한 신뢰라기 보다는 정서교류적인 지원이…rather than trust based on reason and rationality, emotionally reciprocal support…p26In every relationship, the standard for trusting someone was morality — sincerity and honesty — rather than ability.
사람 에 대한 신뢰가 능력차원보다는 도덕성차원에 초점을 두고 있다고 할 수 있다It can be said that trust in people focuses on the dimension of morality rather than the dimension of ability.p28그 사람의 성실성이나 정직함과 같은 도덕성을 현저하게 강조하고 있는…markedly emphasize morality, such as the person's sincerity or honesty…p28IN DAILY LIFE
Children gave no further reason for trusting their parents: “Because he’s my father, because she’s my mother, because they’re my family.”
'내 아버지이니까, 내 어머니이니까, 내 부모 이니까, 내 가족이니까 믿는다고 응답하였다They answered that they trust them “because he is my father, because she is my mother, because they are my parents, because they are my family.”p25According to an earlier case study of workplaces, in Korea a boss joining subordinates’ family weddings and funerals like a family member builds trust — something that in the West might breed distrust as meddling in private life.
가족생활의 경조사 를 가족의 일원처럼 함께 참여하는 상사의 심정 적 배려가 부하에게 신뢰감을 형성하게 한다는 것이다A boss’s heartfelt consideration in joining family occasions such as weddings and funerals as if a family member builds trust in subordinates.p7서양에서는 개인 사생활에 대한 간여로 불신을 낳을 수도 있는 데…in the West, it may breed distrust as interference in one's private life, whereas…p7In depth
This paper, more closely — every sentence carries an original quote and page number.
Background
A Korean dictionary defines sinroe (신뢰, trust) as “believing in and relying on” — the authors suggest Korean trust goes beyond objectively believing someone to include a strong feeling of leaning on them.
심정적으로 의지 하는 정서를 강하게 포함하는 개념일 가능성이 다…the possibility that it is a concept strongly including the emotion of relying on someone at heart.p3에서 '신뢰'의 개념은 '믿고 의지함'이며…the concept of 'trust' is 'believing and relying on'…p3단순히 상대방을 객관적으로 믿는 정도에서 그치는 것이 아니라…does not stop at simply believing the other person objectively, but…p3Earlier work held that Westerners verify behavior before trusting and then grow close, while in Korea trust follows automatically once a close relationship forms; this study set out to check that with real data.
한국인들 은 행위에 대한 검중없이 관계를 통해 신뢰를 가정한다Koreans assume trust through the relationship, without verifying behavior.p6상대의 행동에 대한 객관적인 평가와 검증을 통해 신뢰여부를 판단하는 절차를 밟고…go through a procedure of judging trust through objective evaluation and verification of the other's behavior…p6친밀한 인간관계가 일단 형성된 후에 관여된 사람들간에 신뢰관계가 이루어진다…once a close relationship has formed, a relationship of trust develops among those involved.p6실제로 그러한지는 누적된 경험과학적인 자료에 기초한 검증이 필요할 것으로 본다Whether this is actually so needs to be tested on the basis of accumulated empirical data.p7Method
A researcher-made questionnaire measured how much people trust others on a 5-point scale and asked them to write the single most representative reason in their own words; similar answers were grouped into categories and counted.
각 사람에 대해 신뢰의 가장 대표적인 이유를 한 가지씩 지유반응형식으로 기록하도록 하였다For each person, respondents were asked to write down the single most representative reason for trusting them in free-response format.p9연구자에 의해 제작된 신뢰의식 질문지가 사용되었다A trust-awareness questionnaire made by the researchers was used.p9신뢰하는 정도를 5점 척도(1 매우 불신, 2 약간 불신, 3 중간, 4 약간 신뢰, 5 매우 신뢰)…the degree of trust on a 5-point scale (1 strongly distrust, 2 somewhat distrust, 3 neutral, 4 somewhat trust, 5 strongly trust)…p9각 질문에 대해 유사한 반용들을 정리하고 그러한 반응들을 대표하는 개념들로 유목화하였다For each question, similar responses were organized and categorized into concepts representing them.p9양회된 질적 자료는 프로그램을 활용하여 빈도분쐬하였다The quantified qualitative data underwent frequency analysis using a program.p9표 1에 제시되어 있는 바처럼, 1,737명이었다…as shown in Table 1, was 1,737 people.p8남녀 중학교 2학년 학생 274명과 인문고 남녀 고등학교 2학년 학생 305명이 청소년집단으로 분석되었다274 male and female 2nd-year middle-school students and 305 male and female 2nd-year academic high-school students were analyzed as the adolescent group.p8그들의 아버지 579명과 어머니 579명이 성인 집단으로…their 579 fathers and 579 mothers, as the adult group…p8청소년에게 의미있는 인간관계의 대상을 부, 뫼 친구, 교사로 설정하고…set father, mother, friends, and teachers as meaningful relationships for adolescents…p9의미있는 인간관계의 대상을 자녀, 배우자, 교사로 설정하였다…set children, spouse, and teachers as the meaningful relationships.p9교사에 대한 신뢰는 어머니용 질문지에만 포함되었다…trust in teachers was included only in the mothers' questionnaire.p92명의 대학원생이 모든 기초 작업을 하괴 연구자가 수정하였다…two graduate students did all the groundwork and the researchers revised it.p910명으로 구성된 대학원생 집단에서 집단 토의과정을 통해…through group discussion in a group of 10 graduate students…p9이 분야의 전문가가 내용타당도를 재확인하였다…an expert in this field reconfirmed content validity.p9Detailed findings
Sacrifice was the most common reason for trusting father, followed by “blood ties” — he is my father by blood, so I trust him unconditionally, no reason needed.
피로 맺어진 아버지이고 가족이기 때문에 무 조건 믿는 것이며, 어떤 이유도 필요없다는 반응 이었다Because he is a father bound by blood and family, they trust him unconditionally, and no reason is needed.p10'아버지의 희생'(30.2%) 이라는 반응이 10명 중에서 3명 정도로 가장 많이 지적되었다The response 'father's sacrifice' (30.2%) was cited most, by about 3 in 10.p10두 번째로는 '혈연관계'(19.5%)를 지적한 사람들이Second, those who cited 'blood ties' (19.5%)…p10Naming sacrifice first held consistently across middle and high school, daughters and sons, and good and poor students.
중학생이든 고등학생이든, 딸이든 아들이든, 공부를 잘하든 못하든 일관되게 나타 나고 있음올 알 수 있다…this appears consistently whether middle or high school, daughter or son, whether they study well or not.p10청소년 자녀들이 아버지를 신뢰하는 가장 중요한 이유는 아버지가 가족을 위해 회생적으로 고생하고 있기 때문이라는…the most important reason adolescents trust their father is the thought that he is sacrificially toiling for the family…p10Mothers’ top reason for trusting teachers was “unconditional trust in educators”: about 4 in 10 trust teachers simply because they are teachers.
10명 중에 서 4명 정도는 교사가 교육자의 역할을 하니까 무조건 신뢰하는 것이며About 4 in 10 trust teachers unconditionally because they play the role of educator.p25어머니가 교사를 신뢰하는 가장 대표적인 이유는 '교육자에 대한 무조건 신뢰' 이었다The most representative reason mothers trust teachers was 'unconditional trust in educators.'p25무조건 신뢰하는 것이며 다른 이유가 필요없다는 반응을 하였다…responded that they trust unconditionally and no other reason is needed.p25Parents’ top reasons for trusting their children were sincerity and honesty, named by 6 in 10 parents.
10명 중에서 6명의 부모가 자녀의 성실 정직을 신뢰의 이유로 지적하였다Six in 10 parents cited their child’s sincerity and honesty as the reason for trust.p28자녀를 신뢰* 가장 대표적인 이유도 '성실함' 과 '정직함'이었는데…the most representative reasons for trusting children were also 'sincerity' and 'honesty'…p28Trust in parents did not differ by school level, but middle-schoolers trusted teachers more and high-schoolers trusted friends more.
중학생이 교사를, 고등학생이 친 구를 더욱 신뢰하였다Middle-school students trusted teachers more, and high-school students trusted friends more.p1중 고등학생별로 부모에 대한 신뢰는 차이가 없었으나…trust in parents did not differ between middle and high school students, but…p1Boys trusted parents, teachers, and friends more than girls did, and high achievers more than low achievers; among parents, there were no meaningful differences by age, gender, or education.
남자가 여자보다, 학업성적별로는 상집단이 하집단보다 부모나 교사 및 친구를 더욱 신뢰하였다By gender, males more than females, and by grades, the high group more than the low group trusted parents, teachers, and friends.p1연령별 성별 학력별 부모집단의 자녀, 배우자, 교사에 대한 신뢰 정도를 비교한 결과, 의미있는 차이가 없었다Comparing the parent group's trust in children, spouse, and teachers by age, gender, and education, there were no meaningful differences.p1The more a mother respected and trusted the father, the more the children trusted him — a stronger link than with how much the father himself trusted the children.
가정에서 어머니가 아버지를 존중하고 신뢰 하는 정도가 높을 때, 자녀들이 아버지를 신뢰하 는 정도가 높았다When the mother’s respect for and trust in the father at home was high, the children’s trust in the father was high.p30이 값은 아버지가 자녀를 직접적으로 신뢰* 정도와 자녀가 아버지를 신뢰하는 정도의 상관계수보다 더 높았다…this value was higher than the correlation between how much fathers directly trust their children and how much children trust their fathers.p30The more a mother trusted teachers, the more her child did too.
어머니가 교사에 대 해 긍정적으로 신뢰할수록 자녀도 그러한 신뢰 의 정도가 높은 것으로 확인되었다It was confirmed that the more positively the mother trusted teachers, the higher the child’s trust as well.p24Authors’ interpretation
Putting morality ahead of ability is closely tied to Confucian culture, whose ideal person (gunja, 군자) has not just academic achievement but moral virtue.
능력보다 도덕성을 강조하는 한국 사람 들의 의식구조는, 유교문화와도 밀접히 관련되는 것으로 보인다Koreans’ mindset of emphasizing morality over ability seems closely related to Confucian culture.p28군자는 단순히 학업적인 성취만을 이룬 사람이 아니라 동시적으로 인격적인 덕…the gentleman (junzi) is not merely someone of academic achievement but at the same time [one who has cultivated] moral virtue…p28Despite rapid change over some 40 years, relationship-centered thinking, valuing emotional understanding and empathy, and valuing morality over ability have persisted largely unchanged.
능력보다는 도덕성을 중시하는 기본적인 가 치가 과거와 큰 변화없이 지속되고 있음이 확인 되었다It was confirmed that the basic value of prizing morality over ability continues without major change from the past.p30한국사회가 최근 불과 40여년 사이에 농경사회에서 공업화사회를 거쳐In just 40-odd years, Korean society has gone from an agrarian society through an industrial society…p30인간관계 중심의 사고와 가치, 정서적 이해와 공감을 중시하는 정서지향성…relationship-centered thinking and values, an emotional orientation valuing emotional understanding and empathy…p30The parent–child bond, where trust is built through sacrifice and devotion, serves as a prototype extended to teacher–student and spousal relationships: students trusted teachers as “like parents,” and “devotion to the family” lay at the heart of trusting a spouse.
관계주의 사고의 심리적인 원형으로 작용하여 교사학생관계나 배 우자 관계 등에서도 작용하는 가능성이 시사된 다…the possibility that it works as the psychological prototype of relational thinking, also operating in teacher–student and spousal relationships.p30회생과 헌신을 통해 신뢰를 구축하게 되는 토착적인 부모자녀관계가…the indigenous parent–child relationship in which trust is built through sacrifice and devotion…p30신뢰* 이유로서 '학생을 위한 고생과 희생' ,부모와 같은 존재'…as reasons for trusting [teachers], 'hardship and sacrifice for students' and 'being like a parent'…p30위한 헌신'이 배우자에 대한 신뢰의 핵심적인 이유로 작용하고 있다는…that '[devotion to the family]' works as a core reason for trusting one's spouse…p30Limits the authors note
High trust scores may reflect real trust, but may also reflect a tendency to give socially desirable answers on questionnaires.
사회적으로 바람직한 방향으 로 응답하려는 경향이 작용했올 가능성도 있다There is also the possibility that a tendency to respond in a socially desirable direction was at work.p25신뢰 점수가 높게 나타난 것이, 실제로 청소년과 부모들의 인간관계에서 높은 신뢰를 반영하는 것일 수도 있으나…that trust scores came out high may reflect genuinely high trust in adolescents' and parents' relationships, but…p25To interpret these results as uniquely Korean, they need to be compared with results from other cultures.
이 연구의 결과에 기초한 논의를 한국인에게 특 유한 것으로 해석하려면, 후속연구에서는 다른 문화의 결과와 비교해 보는 것이 필요한 것이다To interpret the discussion based on these results as unique to Koreans, follow-up studies need to compare them with results from other cultures.p25Key terms
Sin (信, trust) A character combining “person” (人) and “word” (言): trust is earned when a person faithfully carries out their words, so that words and deeds match.
사람이 말을 성실하게 실천함으로써 즉 말과 행동이 일 치함으로써 신뢰를 얻게 된다는 것이다By a person faithfully practicing their words — that is, by words and actions matching — trust is gained.p4'사람 인(人)'자와 '말씀 언(言)'자가 결합된 글자이다…is a character combining 'person (人)' and 'word (言)'.p4Father’s sacrifice In adolescents’ answers, this category gathered meanings such as giving birth to and raising me, working for the family and for me, and loving me.
낳아서 길러주괴 가족과 나를 위해 일하시고, 나를 사랑해 주신다는 그러한 의미들과 관련되 어 있었다…related to meanings such as giving birth to and raising me, working for the family and me, and loving me.p10