Which statement correctly describes the structure of the trust equation?

• A. Trust equals (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) divided by Self-orientation
• B. Trust equals Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy
• C. Trust equals (Credibility + Reliability) / Intimacy
• D. Trust equals Self-orientation divided by (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy)

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how trust is built by balancing three positive trust signals against a self-focused bias. In this view, trust grows when credibility, reliability, and intimacy are strong, and it declines as self-orientation increases. Expressing this as a ratio—the sum of credibility, reliability, and intimacy divided by self-orientation—captures that dynamic: boosting any of the three components raises trust, while increasing self-orientation lowers trust because it makes the denominator larger.

This formulation makes intuitive sense in practice. Credibility reflects what you know and claim to know; reliability shows you do what you say over time; intimacy denotes how safe and comfortable others feel sharing with you. If you keep your focus clearly on others (low self-orientation), trust rises more readily. The other forms either remove the dividing effect of self-orientation or invert the relationship (for example, placing self-orientation in the numerator or simply adding the factors), which would not align with how trust is understood to be undermined by self-interest.