CONSTRAINTS ON THE USE OF MONEY AS A GIFT AT CHRISTMAS - THE ROLE OF STATUS AND INTIMACY

Recent studies have revealed the existence of interesting constraints on the use of money as a gift. The present investigation attempted to focus on their psychological bases by using an extended-diary method to study aspects of the Christmas gifts given and received by 92 UK undergraduates. Our findings from several correspondence analyses suggest that, in any given relationship, a gift must be capable of carrying meaningful information concerning the level of intimacy and the relative status existing between donor and recipient. In contrast, money was found to lack the necessary attributes for conveying information concerning intimacy, but also to possess attributes that may transmit inappropriate messages relating to status. © 1991.