[Trust and power--three interrelationships].

Trust is not always an idyllic phenomenon; it may also serve as a context in which power is exercised. Reflecting on power in relation to trust gives us a richer theoretical framework for analysing the social conditions for establishing, maintaining and eroding relations of trust. This article proposes three interrelationships between trust and power: power may create trust; unequal distribution of power may affect the conditions for establishing and maintaining relations of trust; the internal structure of interest and control is identical in some types of trust relations and some types of power relations.