The Societal Obligation of Act of Gift Exchange: A Psychological Perspective

Abstract

In this article, an attempt is made to examine the sociological and psychological underpinnings of the act of gift exchange. A well-known statement given by Marcel Mauss i.e. ‘the exchange of gifts is a discontinuous succession of generous acts ’ in his book ‘The Gift’ is very useful to analyse these underpinnings. First, there is an attempt to define what is a gift. Definitions given by Mauss and Levi-Strauss are used for this purpose. The essay then talks about the factors that make gift exchange a discontinuous act. Then there is a major discussion on whether the act of gift exchange is generous or not. Multiple perspectives are used for this purpose. Illustrations are taken from Mauss’s, Bourdieu's, Polyani’s, and Parry’s conceptualization of gift exchange and give and take. Then there is a discussion about gifts given to paternal aunts and the practice of giving ‘shagun’ in Indian society to highlight the role of self-interestedness, obligation, and expectations in the gift exchange. Gift exchange within family in Western society is also discussed for the same purpose. It is concluded that although the act of gift-giving is discontinuous it is not truly generous. There are always certain self-interests whether material or immaterial which initiate and guide the act of gift exchange. It should be noted that social and psychological factors are mostly intertwined and it is not possible to compartmentalize the two in watertight compartments.