The role of social power relations in gift giving on Valentine's Day

This study investigates motives for gift giving by young males on Valentine's Day and advances previous research on this ritual by controlling for the giving context (occasion and relationship). The study is consistent with previous work by Goodwin et al. (1990) which found that motivations based on obligation, self-interest and altruism do indeed exist. More significantly, however, this study points to the finding that individual motivations for the gift-giving ritual on Valentine's Day may be more intricately intertwined and have deeper manifestations in the perceived social power relationship between the genders. The study recommends that marketers delve beyond the immediate horizon of individual motivations and become even more acutely aware of the ‘intrinsic social power messages’ that arise from the conjoint influences of motivations. This would have great potential for marketing even more meaningful gift products to both givers and receivers. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.

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