ABSTRACT
The capacity to have confidence in oneself and to trust others develops during infancy and early childhood. This chapter sheds light upon adult life ramifications of the trust-mistrust dimension of the human mind. Trust in oneself, in one's partner, and in the overall functioning of the couple is essential for the decision to become a parent and to select the timing for such a life change. Developing romantic intimacy, entering into a marital contract, workplace engagement with peers, raising children and letting them go, and participating in all events and formalities of civic life can stir up conflicts between gullibility and suspiciousness. The "psychopathic transference" gets transformed into "paranoid transference" before giving way to depressive reparative feelings and genuine self-concern. Erikson also posited that paranoid trends had their genesis in overwhelming frustrations during early infancy, which impede the development of "basic trust".
