Mentions of diversity have become an essential part of every university and medical school’s mission statement. Yet, with such an emphasis on diversity, there is an evident absence of<br/>cultural competence education in the curricula of medical education. There is no clear answer of<br/>what is expected of physicians and no direct transitions for the different stages of medical<br/>training when it comes to cultural competence education. This is a vital issue, as there is a close<br/>relationship between the quality of patient care, patient adherence, and medical providers’ levels<br/>of cultural competence. This research analyzes the extent that cultural competence is taught at<br/>various points of the medical education cycle through a data analysis of an IRB approved<br/>questionnaire given to students within the medical education cycle and their value versus<br/>exposure of cultural competence.
The majority of trust research has focused on the benefits trust can have for individual actors, institutions, and organizations. This “optimistic bias” is particularly evident in work focused on institutional trust, where concepts such as procedural justice, shared values, and moral responsibility have gained prominence. But trust in institutions may not be exclusively good. We reveal implications for the “dark side” of institutional trust by reviewing relevant theories and empirical research that can contribute to a more holistic understanding. We frame our discussion by suggesting there may be a “Goldilocks principle” of institutional trust, where trust that is too low (typically the focus) or too high (not usually considered by trust researchers) may be problematic. The chapter focuses on the issue of too-high trust and processes through which such too-high trust might emerge. Specifically, excessive trust might result from external, internal, and intersecting external-internal processes. External processes refer to the actions institutions take that affect public trust, while internal processes refer to intrapersonal factors affecting a trustor’s level of trust. We describe how the beneficial psychological and behavioral outcomes of trust can be mitigated or circumvented through these processes and highlight the implications of a “darkest” side of trust when they intersect. We draw upon research on organizations and legal, governmental, and political systems to demonstrate the dark side of trust in different contexts. The conclusion outlines directions for future research and encourages researchers to consider the ethical nuances of studying how to increase institutional trust.