The phenomenon of trust as a factor of reliability in aviation

Abstract

Aim. Based on an analysis of Russian and foreign literary sources, the paper deduces an estimation of the effect of trust in aviation on the safety and reliability of flights. Trust is a multifunctional phenomenon that appeared in the Russian scientific psychology relatively recently (in the mid-1990s) and soon became an object of research in many branches of science. The phenomenon of trust in scientific psychology is a high-complexity category due to its highly dynamic nature and multifactorial dependence. Objects of trust might include individuals, social groups and organisations, as well as various material and non-material phenomena. The phenomenon of trust is conventionally subdivided into self-trust, trust in people (social) and trust in the world. Methods. 49 specialised literary sources were analysed. Those include papers in science journals (25), papers in proceedings (8), monographs (15), abstracts of theses (1), out of which 37 are by Russian and 12 are by foreign authors. Results. The development of trust was traced through the ontogeny, its effect on personality development throughout life was identified. Of great importance is the basic trust that burgeons in the infancy within the mother – child diad ant later defines the view of life that significantly affects the socialization and personality development, behaviour in personal life and professional activities. The phenomenon of trust (cognitive, emotional, behavioural aspects), its phenomenology and psychosocial functions were analysed. It was established, that the phenomenon of trust is of significant importance in many spheres of life and activities of individuals and organisations. It is manifested in the ethical, psychosocial, economic, legal and political functions. The authors examine the applicability of the identified properties of trust in aviation. It was identified that the level of trust in aviation systems (civilian and military) affects flight safety. Of special importance is the trust in pilot operations, as it affects his/her adaptive capability in cases of professional emergencies. Conclusion. The paper substantiates the evaluation of the phenomenon of trust as a factor of reliability of an aviation system’s operation. At the same time, the effect of trust in the pilot on the adaptation and stress tolerance in emergency situations is identified. It is logical to consider personal trust of a pilot as a personal antistress resource. Consequently, the research should continue in order to identify the value of a pilot’ professional trust for the purpose of improving flight safety.