Thieves of thankfulness: inhibitors of gratitude
"Gratitude has often been called the "poster child" of positive psychology as a result of demonstrated links to a number of positive outcomes across diverse areas of life (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010). This study investigated four possible inhibitors of trait gratitude: cynicism, materialism/envy, indebtedness, and narcissism. The study sample consisted of upper-level undergraduate psychology college students from a university in eastern Washington. These potential inhibitors were measured, along with trait gratitude, at Time 1. Two months later, inhibitors and trait gratitude were once again measured. Partial correlational analyses were computed between Time 1 inhibitors and Time 2 gratitude while controlling for Time 1 gratitude. Results showed a significant negative relationship between Time 1 cynicism and Time 2 trait gratitude, Time 1 indebtedness and Time 2 trait gratitude, and Time 1 narcissism and Time 2 trait gratitude. Implications of this research suggest that the development of gratitude can be reduced in the presence of certain personality traits. Suggestions for future research, including examining external and internal indebtedness, are discussed"--Document.
Gratitude--Psychological aspects, College students--Washington (State), Eastern--Psychology, Psychology
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