Psychology of Gift-Giving

Gift-giving is an economically significant area of consumer behavior. For we are constantly buy gifts: for Christmas and Mothers 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 Mothers 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.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. em. Bernd Stauss held the Chair of Service Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

Gift giving: joy, duty and frustration.- Gift and counter-gift: the reciprocity rule.- The valuation of the gift: the recipient decides, not the giver.- The financial value of the gift: can't buy me love?- The emotional value of the gift: empathy, surprise, sacrifice.- Gifts as information media: what they say about the giver and the relationship with the recipient.- Gifts in romantic relationships: what enhances and what weakens the relationship?- Gifts to different recipients: who gets anything at all and how much?- Difficult givers and recipients: risk reduction strategies.- Cash gifts and vouchers: when are they taboo and when are they welcome?- Handling over and receiving the gift: the moment of truth.- Gifts and gender: Santa Claus is a woman.- Gifts and culture: what applies globally and what regionally?.