Find, remind, blind? Support as a context for the adaptive nature of gratitude

Extant literature often assumes that gratitude is intrinsically positive therefore ought to be maximized. Virtue theory and social alignment theory, however, suggest gratitude is adaptive only in specific relational contexts. Drawing from find-remind-bind theory's notion that gratitude function...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe journal of positive psychology Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 636 - 648
Main Authors Cazzell, Amber, Tsang, Jo-Ann, Rivers, Alannah Shelby, Ratchford, Juliette L., Schnitker, Sarah A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 04.07.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
aggression
commitment
Congruence
couples
Gratitude
Health status
Mental health
Mixed gender
Morality
physical health
Psychological well being
Sexual satisfaction
support
support matching
well-being
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Summary:Extant literature often assumes that gratitude is intrinsically positive therefore ought to be maximized. Virtue theory and social alignment theory, however, suggest gratitude is adaptive only in specific relational contexts. Drawing from find-remind-bind theory's notion that gratitude functions to promote interactions with supportive partners in particular, we test whether it is not just the overall level of gratitude and support that bear upon personal (psychological well-being, physical health) and relational (commitment, sexual satisfaction, aggression) outcomes, but also congruence in levels of gratitude for one's partner relative to the support they provide. Drawing from a cross-sectional survey of 874 mixed-sex married dyads (N = 1,748) in the United States, we demonstrate that gratitude for a partner in excess of the support that partner provides is associated with maladaptive personal and relational outcomes. Implications and future directions are discussed.
ISSN:1743-9760
1743-9779
DOI:10.1080/17439760.2022.2053875