Is Gratitude a Moral Affect?

Gratitude is conceptualized as a moral affect that is analogous to other moral emotions such as empathy and guilt. Gratitude has 3 functions that can be conceptualized as morally relevant: (a) a moral barometer function (i.e., it is a response to the perception that one has been the beneficiary of a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological bulletin 2001-03, Vol.127 (2), p.249-266
Main Authors: McCullough, Michael E, Kilpatrick, Shelley D, Emmons, Robert A, Larson, David B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affect
Affectivity. Emotion
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Emotional States
Emotions
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gratitude
Human
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Models, Psychological
Moral aspects
Morality
Morals
Motivation
Perception
Personality
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social Behavior
Social behaviour
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social life
Social psychology
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Summary:Gratitude is conceptualized as a moral affect that is analogous to other moral emotions such as empathy and guilt. Gratitude has 3 functions that can be conceptualized as morally relevant: (a) a moral barometer function (i.e., it is a response to the perception that one has been the beneficiary of another person's moral actions); (b) a moral motive function (i.e., it motivates the grateful person to behave prosocially toward the benefactor and other people); and (c) a moral reinforcer function (i.e., when expressed, it encourages benefactors to behave morally in the future). The personality and social factors that are associated with gratitude are also consistent with a conceptualization of gratitude as an affect that is relevant to people's cognitions and behaviors in the moral domain.
ISSN:0033-2909
1939-1455
DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249