The Dynamic Structure of Relationship Formation: A Cyclical Model of Emotion, Ethical Interaction, and Trust

Human relationships have been explained through various elements such as emotion, social norms, and roles. However, these approaches have limitations in providing an integrated explanation of the process through which relationships are formed, stabilized, and transformed over time. In particular, emotion-centered explanations are effective in explaining the initial trigger of relationship formation but fail to sufficiently account for persistence and stability, while norm- or role-based approaches can present the external framework of relationships but are limited in explaining how structures are formed within actual interaction. Based on these limitations, this paper understands human relationships as a dynamic structure in which emotion, ethical interaction, and trust are connected over time. Emotion functions as the starting point of relationship formation by triggering interaction, and through repetitive interaction, behavioral patterns such as responsibility, consistency, and respect for boundaries are formed, which constitute the structure of relationships. As this process accumulates, predictability and mutual expectations emerge between individuals, leading to the formation of trust. Furthermore, this paper argues that emotion, ethical interaction, and trust do not proceed in a one-directional sequence, but rather form a cyclical structure in which established trust reshapes subsequent emotional experiences and patterns of interaction. This cyclical structure functions as an integrated theoretical framework for explaining how human relationships are formed, stabilized, and weakened over time. Accordingly, this paper does not reduce human relationships to a single element, but presents an analytical framework that explains, in an integrated manner, the starting point of relationship formation, the formation of structure through repetitive interaction, and the cyclical process of change centered on trust.