Can’t We Call It Something Else?

Abstract

Here I outline traditional and contemporary origins of the notion of gratitude and its core elements, before considering the confusion that can occur when searching for a meaning for the term ‘gratitude’ that works in an educational environment. I illustrate the struggle that some educators have with its possible religious or new age overtones, or associations with indebtedness. I postulate reasons why they sometimes try to replace the concept of gratitude with other terms. An examination follows of the complexities that arise when educators limit gratitude to being a positive emotion or equate it with the notion of positive thinking.