The Wishes and Expression of Gratitude of Youth

Authors

  • Jonathan Richard Henry Tudge University of North Carolina
  • Lia Beatriz de Lucca Freitas Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  • Irina L. Mokrova University of North Carolina
  • Yudan Chen Wang University of North Carolina
  • Marion O'Brien University of North Carolina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-43272562201501

Abstract

Little research has examined the development of gratitude in youth, and none has related their gratitude to their wishes. We therefore asked 358 7- to 14-year-old North American participants (56% female; 55% White) to write their greatest wish and what they would do for their benefactor. Using chi-square and linear curve estimation, we found that younger youth (aged 7 to 10) were significantly more likely to express hedonistic wishes (desire for immediate gain) and concrete gratitude (not taking the benefactor's wishes into account); older youth (aged 11 to 14) were significantly more likely to wish either for something involving future well-being for themselves or the well-being of others and connective gratitude (taking into account the benefactor's wishes). Within both age groups, there was a significant inverse relation between hedonistic wishes and connective gratitude. This research has implications for encouraging the feeling and expression of connective gratitude.

Downloads

Downloads

Published

2015-12-01

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 62 (2015)

Section

Articles

License

Regarding the availability of contents, Paideia adopts the Creative Commons License, CC-BY. With this licence anyone is allowed to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as to remix, transform, and create from the material for any purpose, even commercial, giving the proper copyright credits to the journal, providing a link to the licence and indicating if changes have been made.

Partial reproduction of other publications

Quotations of more than 500 words, reproductions of one or more figures, tables or other illustrations must have written permission from the copyright holder of the original work for the reproduction specified in the Paidéia journal. Permission should be addressed to the author of the submitted manuscript. Secondarily obtained rights will not be transferred under any circumstance. 

How to Cite

Tudge, J. R. H., Freitas, L. B. de L., Mokrova, I. L., Wang, Y. C., & O'Brien, M. (2015). The Wishes and Expression of Gratitude of Youth. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 25(62), 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-43272562201501