Cross-cultural differences in the refusal to accept a small gift: The differential influence of reciprocity norms on Asians and North Americans.

Abstract

Asians are more likely than North Americans to refuse a small gift that is offered to them by a casual acquaintance. Five experiments confirmed this difference and explored the reasons for its occurrence. Asians, who are inclined to think of themselves in relation to others, are more likely than North Americans to invoke a reciprocity norm in exchanging gifts with casual acquaintances, and they refuse a gift in order to avoid the feeling of indebtedness they would experience if they cannot reciprocate. North Americans, however, who are inclined to think of themselves independently of others, are more likely to base their acceptance of the gift on its attractiveness without considering their obligation to reciprocate. These cultural differences are not evident when the gift is offered by a close friend with whom individuals have a communal relationship. Implications of our findings for miscommunication between members of different cultures are discussed.

The proximal experience of gratitude

“…Consistent with this notion, some collectivist cultures are relatively uncomfortable with seeking social support from close others, are prone to guilt, and desire to avoid worrying friends and family and “putting others out” (e.g., [80–84]). Indeed, East Asians are more likely than North Americans to turn down even small gifts from acquaintances to avoid feeling indebted [85]. …”

Impact of Consumers’ Self-Construal, Empathy, and Moral Identity on Purchase Intention toward Cause-Related Marketing Goods: A Perspective of the Moderated Mediation Model

“…Moral identity symbolization refers to an individual's attempt to convey the views of his or her personal moral identity to the outside world through behaviors . Because individuals distinguish the relationships between themselves and others based on different types of self-construal (Markus & Kitayama, 1991;Shen et al, 2011), the present study inferred that the two dimensions of moral identity strengthen the relationship between self-construal and purchase intention toward CRM products in Chinese collectivist contexts. Thus, the following hypotheses were proposed:…”

“…Scholars have discovered that self-construal is the foundation of cognitive and emotional response systems, and people define their relationships with others according to different self-construals (Markus & Kitayama, 1991;Shen, Wan, & Wyer, 2011). Self-construal also dominates consumers' identification with charitable cause and affects their preferences toward promotional methods (Winterich & Barone, 2011).…”

Application of persuasion and health behavior theories for behavior change counseling: Design of the ADAPT (Avoiding Diabetes Thru Action Plan Targeting) program

“…Tools that tap into “non-cognitive” pathways for behavior change include social comparisons, testimonials, reciprocity (gift giving), commitments and defaults. For example, the pharmaceutical industry has long used gifts to positively influence physician prescribing behavior(42) since gift giving often engenders feelings of reciprocity toward the gift giver (43). Use of social comparisons has also been shown to increase intention to screen for colorectal cancer(44) and improve physical activity among overweight patients (45).…”