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The Asymmetry in Gratitude

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Abstract

The relational dimension of gratitude requires social psychology to (re)think theoretical and methodological constructs, in order to express the complexity of gratitude’s new features. I have tried to present an unexplored feature of gratitude: the asymmetry. In particular, I discussed whether or not gratitude can be characterized by an asymmetrical relation. Relationships are based on ‘power plays’, in which the expression of gratitude could be an ‘asymmetric sentiment’ that goes just in one direction. The presence of ‘gratitude of duty’, ‘gratitude of acquiescence’ and ‘gratitude of convenience’ was supposed to explain the bond between a low-power and high-power actor. In the second part, it is developed a model of gratitude as a triadic system of relationships. This theoretical reflection should be the starting point for a future research that will focus on developing new methods of data collection, able to capture the complexity of the ‘asymmetric sentiment’ of gratitude.

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    Valentina Luccarelli

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Luccarelli, V. The Asymmetry in Gratitude. Hu Arenas 2, 6–19 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-018-0016-8

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