Abstract
In this chapter I describe several theories of gratitude that help organize the research that has been reviewed in this book. I first review McCullough and colleagues (Psychol Bull 127:249–266, 2001) moral affect theory of gratitude, which I think effectively explains the essential nature of gratitude. I then move on to discussing theories that explain the causes of gratitude, and here I focus on the social-cognitive model of Wood et al. (Emotion 8:281–290, 2008). Theories that attempt to explain how gratitude enhances well-being are explored. Fredrickson (Gratitude, like other positive emotions, broadens and builds. In: Emmons RA, McCullough ME (eds) The psychology of gratitude. Oxford Press, New York, pp 145–166, 2004) has applied her broaden and build theory of positive emotions to gratitude, and I explain how her approach effectively explains how gratitude enhances personal resources. I then move on to the find-remind-and-bind theory of Algoe (Soc Pers Psychol Compass 6:455–469, 2012), which explains how gratitude enhances social well-being. Finally I introduce my amplification theory of gratitude; I argue that gratitude is important to the good life because it amplifies the good in one’s life.
The test of all happiness is gratitude.
–G. K. Chesterton
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Algoe, S. B. (2012). Find, remind, and bind: The functions of gratitude in everyday relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6, 455–469.
Barsky, A. J., III. (1979). Patients who amplify bodily sensations. Annals of Internal Medicine, 9, 63–70.
Barsky, A. J., Goodson, J. D., Lane, R. S., & Cleary, P. D. (1988). The amplification of somatic symptoms. Psychosomatic Medicine, 50, 510–519.
Barsky, A. J., Wyshak, G., & Klerman, G. L. (1990). The somatosensory amplification scale and its relationship to hypochondriasis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 24, 323–334.
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5, 323–370.
Cameron, J. J., Holmes, J. G., & Vorauer, J. D. (2011). Cascading metaperceptions: Signal amplification bias as a consequence of reflected self-esteem. Self and Identity, 10, 1–17.
Chesterton, G. K. (1917). A short history of England. Retrieved July 28, 2006, from http://www.dur.ac.uk/martin.ward/gkc/books/history.txt
Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are the positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Gratitude, like other positive emotions, broadens and builds. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 145–166). New York: Oxford Press.
Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002). Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being. Psychological Science, 13, 172–175.
Fredrickson, B. L., Tugade, M., Waugh, C. E., & Larkin, G. R. (2003). What good are positive emotions in crises? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 365–376.
Frijda, N. (1988). The laws of emotion. American Psychologist, 43, 349–358.
Gabora, L. (2002). Amplifying phenomenal information: Toward a fundamental theory of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 9(8), 3–29.
Holmes, E. A., Geddes, J. R., Colom, F., & Goodwin, G. M. (2008). Mental imagery as an emotional amplifier: Application to bipolar disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46, 1251–1258.
Holmes, E. A., & Mathews, A. (2010). Mental imagery in emotion and emotional disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 349–362.
Koteles, F., Szemerszky, R., Freyler, A., & Bardos, G. (2011). Somatosensory amplification as a possible source of subjective symptoms behind modern health worries. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 52, 174–178.
Lewin, K. (1951). In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Field theory in social science: selected theoretical papers. New York: Harper and Row.
Martin, D. W. (2008). Doing psychology experiments (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson/ Wadsworth.
McCullough, M. E., Kilpatrick, S. D., Emmons, R. A., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Gratitude as moral affect. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 249–266.
Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J., & Mashek, D. J. (2007). Moral emotions and moral behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 345–372.
Tompkins, S. S. (1962). Affect, imagery, consciousness (Vol. 1). New York: Springer.
Tompkins, S. S. (1963). Affect, imagery, consciousness (Vol. 2). New York: Springer.
Tompkins, S. S. (1979). Script theory: Differential magnification of affects. In H. E. Howe Jr. & R. A. Dienstbier (Eds.), Nebraska symposium on motivation (Vol. 26). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.
Uhder, J., Webber, A., & Watkins, P. C. (2010, August). Favors from heaven: Sources and benefits of gratitude toward God. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, San Diego, CA.
Watkins, P. C. (2001). Gratitude: The benefits of an emotional state and trait. Spirituality and Medicine Connection, 5(1), 6–7.
Watkins, P. C. (2004). Gratitude and subjective well-being. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 167–192). New York: Oxford University Press.
Watkins, P. C. (2008). Gratitude: The amplifier of blessing. In A. Przepiorka (Ed.), Closer to emotions II. Lublin, Poland: Publishing House of Catholic University of Lublin.
Watkins, P. C., Scheer, J., Ovnicek, M., & Kolts, R. (2006). The debt of gratitude: Dissociating gratitude from indebtedness. Cognition and Emotion, 20, 217–241.
Watkins, P. C., Uhder, J., Webber, A., Pichinevenskiy, S., & Sparrow, A. (2011, May). Religious affections: The importance of gratitude toward God to spiritual well-being. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Washington, DC.
Watkins, P. C., Woodward, K., Stone, T., & Kolts, R. (2003). Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 431–452.
Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Stewart, N., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008). A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude. Emotion, 8, 281–290.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Watkins, P.C. (2014). Conclusion: Explaining Gratitude. In: Gratitude and the Good Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7253-3_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7253-3_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7252-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7253-3
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)