Psychology of Gift-Giving: On the psychology of gift giving

Gift-giving is an economically significant area of consumer behavior. For we are constantly buy gifts: for Christmas and Mother’s Day, for birth and baptism, for the start of school and exams, for engagements and weddings, for birthdays or as souvenirs. Moreover, gift-giving is a very important psychological phenomenon, based on voluntariness, but also representing a duty and requiring compliance with rules. Thus, gift giving is by no means always associated with joy, but also with stress in the search for a perfect gift and disappointment when gifts fail. The book presents central results of psychological research on gift-giving. These provide answers to the following questions, among others: What ‘secret’ rules of giving and receiving do we follow? What messages do we send with our gifts? How do certain characteristics - such as the amount of the price or empathy - influence satisfaction with a Gift-giving is an economically significant area of consumer behavior. For we are constantly buy gifts: for Christmas and Mother’s Day, for birth and baptism, for the start of school and exams, for engagements and weddings, for birthdays or as souvenirs. Moreover, gift-giving is a very important psychological phenomenon, based on voluntariness, but also representing a duty and requiring compliance with rules. Thus, gift giving is by no means always associated with joy, but also with stress in the search for a perfect gift and disappointment when gifts fail. The book presents central results of psychological research on gift-giving. These provide answers to the following questions, among others: · What ‘secret’ rules of giving and receiving do we follow? · What messages do we send with our gifts? · How do certain characteristics - such as the amount of the price or empathy - influence satisfaction with a gift? · What mistakes should we avoid when giving gifts in romantic relationships? · When is a monetary gift appropriate and when is it not? The Author Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. em. Bernd Stauss held the Chair of Service Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. What mistakes should we avoid when giving gifts in romantic relationships? When is a monetary gift appropriate and when is it not? The presentation of psychological gift-giving research is supplemented by references to gift-giving episodes in fiction by authors such as Paul Auster, Jonathan Franzen, Margaret Mitchell, and Thomas Mann. These illustrate the scientific findings and allow us to emotionally comprehend the experience of giving and receiving. The Author Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. em. Bernd Stauss held the Chair of Service Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. Preface Contents 1: Gift Giving: Joy, Duty and Frustration References 2: Gift and Counter-Gift: The Reciprocity Rule References 3: The Valuation of the Gift: The Recipient Decides, Not the Giver References 4: The Financial Value of the Gift: Can’t Buy Me Love? References 5: The Emotional Value of the Gift: Empathy, Surprise, Sacrifice References 6: Gifts as Information Media: What They Say About the Giver and the Relationship with the Recipient References 7: Gifts in Romantic Relationships: What Enhances and What Weakens the Relationship? References 8: Gifts to Different Recipients: Who Gets Anything at All and How Much? References 9: Difficult Givers and Recipients: Risk Reduction Strategies References 10: Cash Gifts and Vouchers: When Are They Taboo and When Are They Welcome? References 11: Handling Over and Receiving the Gift: The Moment of Truth References 12: Gifts and Gender: Santa Claus Is a Woman References 13: Gifts and Culture: What Applies Globally and What Regionally? References Epilogue