Giften en het emotionele belang van familie en vrienden

Samenvatting

Gift exchange has mainly been studied by anthropologists. Their work suggests a relationship between the closeness of social relationships and the 'purity' of the gift (the extent to which it is given as an expression of 'pure' sympathy and without concrete expectations of returns). This article presents some results of an empirical study about gift giving in Western society. An 'emotional hierarchy' of different social relationships was constructed on the basis of an analysis of feelings underlying gift giving. The results show that gifts to the family are less 'pure' than gifts to friends; bonds between friends seem to have become more important than family ties. However, the stability of giving within a 'family culture' is greater than is the case within a 'friends' culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)