By means of binary schematization they are treated, however, as if one could be turned into the other by mere negation. Thus the transition from the one form to the other is made easier, both come closer together precisely in that they are thought of as opposites, and in this lies the gain in rationality. For the simplicity and directness of the transition to the opposite makes tolerable a greater risk in determining the system. The relative inferiority, the relatively low 'level of technicality', of the trust mechanism in comparison with the truth-code or the legal-code can be seen, among other things, in the greater difficulty of reversing negation – trust is easier to transform into distrust than is distrust into trust.

XREF: Relates to Luhmann's systems theory and the asymmetry of social trust dynamics versus binary codes like truth/falsity or legal/illegal. Builds on: "Distrust reinforces itself through a self-fulfilling prophecy feedback loop."

Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, loc. 311