ABSTRACT
Feeling safe in the presence of, or in relationship with, an other or others defines the subjective sense of trust. Trusting in a person means certitude in the critical knowledge one presumably possesses pertaining to that individual. Religious faith and dogmatic certitude are closely associated in general and may be based on various levels of emotional development and specific modes of relatedness. The transcendental quest of establishing identity with the nonmaterial and the spiritual realm of experience sees life span and physical existence as a preparatory phase for the purpose of launching the soul onto the everlasting spiritual life. Even the devoutly faithful spiritual leaders are subject to varieties of deviation, doubt, confusion, denial, ambivalence, or vacillation in their sense of certainty. The sense of conscious or unconscious mistrust can therefore function as a signal affect involved in compromise formation and conflict resolution.
