Feelings of "Meiwaku / Burden" as a Interaction: A Reflection Based on a Gift-giving Theoretic Approach

This paper examines elderly people’s Feelings of "Meiwaku / Burden" from the perspective of the act of gift-giving. In Japanese, the word "Morau" is used not only in receiving a concrete object, but also in having something done by someone. Both acts lead to the human relationship and the reciprocity. Both cases can cause a burden on receivers and others. We use then “Sumimasen”. This is not as the same as English words “Thank You”. But this usage of Japanese can be explained from a Gift-giving-theoretic point of view. Because, in terms of the outcome, they are the same thing from this theory. Therefore, we will examine the meaning of the word "receive" based on discussions by Kunio Yanagida, Michizo Toida, Ruth Benedict, Marcel Mauss, and others. We hope to clarify what is elderly people’s Feelings of "Meiwaku / Burden" by analyzing the meaning of human relationships brought about by the act of gift-giving in general