GIFT GIVING AND THE EMOTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Gift exchange has been studied mainly by anthropologists. The work of Malinowski and Sahlins suggests a relationship between the closeness o f social relationships and the purity of the gift (the extent to which it is given as an expression of sympathy and without concrete expecta tions of returns). This article examines gift giving in Western societ y. An emotional hierarchy of different social relationships was constr ucted on the basis of an analysis of feelings accompanying gift giving . The results suggest that friendships are emotionally more important than ties to extended kin.