Is gratitude a moral affect?

Citation
Me. Mccullough et al., Is gratitude a moral affect?, PSYCHOL B, 127(2), 2001, pp. 249-266
Citations number
140
Categorie Soggetti
Psycology,"Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN
ISSN journal
00332909 → ACNP
Volume
127
Issue
2
Year of publication
2001
Pages
249 - 266
Database
ISI
SICI code
0033-2909(200103)127:2<249:IGAMA>2.0.ZU;2-A
Abstract
Gratitude is conceptualized as a moral affect that is analogous to other mo ral 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 nother person's moral actions); (b) a moral motive function (i.e., it motiv ates the grateful person to behave prosocially toward the benefactor and ot her people); and (c) a moral reinforcer function (i.e., when expressed, it encourages benefactors to behave morally in the future). The personality an d social factors that are associated with gratitude are also consistent wit h a conceptualization of gratitude as an affect that is relevant to people' s cognitions and behaviors in the moral domain.