Trust is one of the key ingredients in any successful relationship. It is however next to impossible to have absolute trust in someone completely and at all times. There are varying degrees of trust. Let us explain this.

There are basically two kinds of trust – one based on relationship and the other based on vulnerability (or more accurately, the comfort in being vulnerable in front of someone). The first kind is obvious – we trust our immediate relatives purely because of blood ties.

The second kind is the relationship we have with those with whom we feel safe in letting down our masks (again, to varying degrees) and showing our vulnerabilities.

Relationship trust is what we are born with or what is arranged by default and vulnerability trust is what we consciously build. In general, families that have a highly developed vulnerability trust – ability to let each other see one’s weaknesses – tend to work phenomenally well together, rather than those just get by on relationship trust.

To be continued...