The Social Psychology of the Gift

Schwartz, Barry

doi:10.1086/224432

Cited by 377 publications

(240 citation statements)

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“…It is also inconceivable for the recipient not to try to give back a gift of similar value: gift giving is perceived as an affirmation of power and selfhood (Schwartz, 1967), so that the recipient who does not give back would experience a feeling of inferiority (Sherry, 1983) or dependency (Moschetti, 1979). This explains why the recipient searches for equilibrium and provides the same utility to the donor (Bell, 1991).…”

Section: The Social Exchange and Gift Exchange Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘No Strings Attached’: Welcoming the Existential Gift in Business

Frémeaux

Michelson

2011

J Bus Ethics

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ABSTRACT. Social relations are predominantly influenced by an exchange paradigm whereby the logic of reciprocity shapes behaviour. If the notion of exchange instrumentalism is common across different business disciplines, this does not deny attempts-such as through gift exchange theory-to present different conceptions of traditional exchange-based relations. Gift exchange theory appears promising as it seeks to establish more meaning and significance to the nature and context of exchange relations between human actors or parties. The underlying processes may be different for gift exchange and more traditional economic-based exchanges, but the general outcome remains the same-the obligation of reciprocity between actors. In this article, we develop an alternative conception of social and business experience that transcends the dominant logic of exchange: the existential gift. Firmly embedded in the idea of giving for its own sake, the existential gift suggests that for some individuals the expectations of reciprocity are neither sought nor established. Generosity that is expressed in both tangible and intangible ways need not depend on the response of intended receivers or recipients (e.g. acceptance or non-acceptance) to precipitate future acts of giving. Based on the logic of unconditionality, the existential gift provides human actors with greater freedom in their choices and relationships. It may well be that this freedom, in turn, creates a new ‗ethic of generosity' whereby significant progress can be made towards developing more human models and practices in business.

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Section: The Social Exchange and Gift Exchange Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘No Strings Attached’: Welcoming the Existential Gift in Business

Frémeaux

Michelson

2011

J Bus Ethics

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“…Indeed, gifts might serve many social functions (see, e.g., Schwartz 1967), including conveying identity, controlling and subordinating, conveying unfriendliness, reducing status anxiety, enforcing distributive justice, providing suspense or insulation, defining group boundaries, and atoning for unseen social deviations.…”

Section: The Sociological Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Frivolous gifts will have el = 0, since they generate no marginal utility, and "unfriendly" gifts (see Schwartz 1967, p. 5) may even have negative values of el. The puzzle I seek to explain is why it seems necessary for el to be less than one for a gift to signal a person's intentions appropriately.…”

Section: S186mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gifts as Economic Signals and Social Symbols

Camerer¹

1988

American Journal of Sociology

308

209

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“…This becomes part of the internalized identity of the Burner, a source of intrinsic motivation, and ultimately part of the recipient's behavioral repertoire. This is exactly what is meant by "the social psychology of the gift" (Schwartz, 1967). It is therefore not surprising to see the positive feedback gratitude loop manifest as thousands of Burners reciprocate Burning Man's gift by assiduously cleaning up after themselves.…”

Section: Concluding Thoughtsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Burning Man Values Examined: Gratitude as a Culturally-Driven and Value-Based Organizational Mainstay

Hoover¹,

Giambatista

Hoover³

2018

JVBL

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Gratitude expression is examined as a culturally-derived principle that can be adopted as a best practices strategy that can make organizations more dynamic and human relationships more meaningful. Burning Man is presented as an exemplar of gratitude implementation by crafting the expression of gratitude into an elevated organizational phenomenon (including a cultural principal of unconditional gifting). Burning Man has also crafted a "Culture of Appreciation" as a set of organizationally-derived practices complementary to processes of gratitude implementation. The paper concludes with a discussion of gratitude and appreciation as an organizational mainstay.

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The Social Psychology of the Gift

Cited by 377 publications

References 0 publications

‘No Strings Attached’: Welcoming the Existential Gift in Business

‘No Strings Attached’: Welcoming the Existential Gift in Business

Gifts as Economic Signals and Social Symbols

Burning Man Values Examined: Gratitude as a Culturally-Driven and Value-Based Organizational Mainstay

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