Gratitude Expressions Motivate Pro-Social Behavior

Gratitude Expressions Motivate Pro-social Behavior

Nguyen Quynh Nhu

Raffles School of Higher Education

Psychology 108

Instructor: Mr. Carlin Lee

Friday, August 3, 2012

Gratitude Expressions Motivate Pro-social Behavior

The paper is a critique of a quantitative research article discussed a study conducted by Adam M. G. and Gino F. Even though the study presents valuable and important insights into recipients' experience of gratitude enhance pro-social behavior, little is known on the subject of the psychological mechanisms that mediate this end product. The goal of the research is to support the communal perspective in place of the agentic perspective. As a matter of fact, they wanted to get the result from their proposal: Gratitude expressions enhance pro-social behavior by make the individuals possible to believe social values.

Grant and Gino gave explanation that despite the fact is lots of studies have established that gratitude increase pro-social behaviors, only some have been conducted to clarify what psychological mechanisms produce this outcome. In an effort to be aware of this phenomenon, they proposed "gratitude expressions are able to increase pro-social behavior throughout both agentic and communal mechanisms, such that when helpers are showed appreciation for their efforts, they are more familiar to the stronger ways of thinking of self-efficacy and social values, which provoke them to take on in pro-social behavior."

The purpose of the study is strongly suggested in the introduction the article. Here, the authors state that the purpose of the quantitative research was to study how gratitude – a social emotion – affects both partners equally in social interactions. In direct relation to the purpose of the research, without a doubt, the dynamic force at the back of the research is one question, which authors draw attention on the available article. For the most part, the question is: "Through what psychological processes does being thanked lead to higher levels of helping?"

The authors represent on the classic dissimilarity between agentic and communal mechanism to clarify the problem. They have prolonged argument that persons have essential motives to feel agentic, also personal competence and capability, and communal, or associated to and respected by others. They judge against the special effects of gratitude expressions taking place on pro-social behavior might be intervened. Since the agentic perspective, gratitude expressions may boost feelings of helpers' self-efficacy that will stimulate helper