A Model of Relationship between Gratitude and Prosocial Motivation of Thai High School and Undergraduate Students

Abstract

To examine a model of relationships between feelings of gratitudeand prosocial motivation in adolescents, a survey of 414 high schoolstudents and 191 undergraduate students in Thailand was conductedusing a multi-aspect questionnaire about gratitude. The questionnairemeasured the following constructs involved in hypothetical helpingsituations: (a) perception on gains for a recipient, cost of abenefactor, desirability of the favor, and obligation to give help asthe cognitive variables affecting the feelings of gratitude; (b) thefeelings of gratitude, which include feelings of appreciativeness,indebtedness, and general positivity; and (c) enhancement ofprosocial motivation on recipients as a consequence of gratitude.Results indicated that, in high school and undergraduate students,appreciativeness is the only feeling that showed positive correlationto the enhancement of prosocial motivation, whereas the perceptionon the cost of a benefactor and the gain of a recipient showedpositive correlation to the feelings of appreciativeness. In addition,both groups of students reported more degree of the feelings ofappreciativeness and enhancement of the prosocial motivation whenregarding their father and mother’s help rather than that of friends. Itis also discussed that the feelings of appreciativeness correlated witha concept of respect which probably strengthens the potential ofgratitude in promoting prosocial motivation.Keywords: gratitude, prosocial motivation, indebtedness, adolescents,Thailand