Trust and Mistrust as Stress Reducing and Increasing Factors in Working Life

This paper is a theoretical attempt to investigate possible connections between trust and eustress and also mistrust and distress. The paper includes both empirical material and theoretical material. Empirical material was analysed by using Grounded Theory. According to analysis of both empirical and theoretical material there are connections between the phenomena mentioned. Trust is connected to eustress by several categories, such as mutual process, openness, and leadership of self and versatile interchange of knowing. Mistrust and distress are also connected by several categories: incomprehensibility and embarrassment, indifference, change, and depersonalisation. There were also categories identified as ambivalent categories, since they could be connected to either eustress or distress.