"Why Did You Hurt Me?" Victim's Interpersonal Betrayal Attribution and Trust Implications

Abstract

In this paper, I propose an attribution-based typology of betrayal. Specifically, incidental betrayal occurs when the trustee (perpetrator) violates the pivotal trust expectations of the trustor (victim) in the course of pursuing other goals; intentional betrayal occurs when the goal of the perpetrator is to violate the critical trust expectations of the victim in order to cause harm to him or her. Incidental betrayal is further categorized into egoistic betrayal and ideological betrayal, whereas intentional betrayal is further categorized into personalistic betrayal and reciprocal betrayal. In addition, I explicate how these various types of betrayal differentially affect the victim's perception of the perpetrator's trustworthiness. © 2009 American Psychological Association.