Equity, attribution, and reactance in giving and receiving gifts of clothing. Unpublished manuscript

This study explores equity, attribution, and reactance theories as they relate to giving and receiving gifts of clothing. About 100 each of male and female subjects responded to a set of affective statements written to express the three theories and other aspects of giving and receiving clothing gifts. Factor analyses of responses resulted in four factors for each sex, three of which were similar in content. For each sex, the first factor concerned receiving gifts and incorporated the three theories. The following two factors were concerned with giving gifts, one factor emphasizing the recipient’s well-being, the other factor the self-esteem of the giver. Content of the fourth factors differed for males and females. Attribution, equity, and reactance statements did not form separate factors, but were mixed with other statements. Results supported suggestions in the literature that theories overlap in explaining gift-giving behavior. Findings were consistent with others ’ reports of sex differences in gift-giving behavior and attitudes. Key Words: gifts, equity, attribution, reactance Gift giving is a pervasive form of human behavior; nearly all members of a society engage in it frequently (Banks, 1979). According to Belk (1976), study of gift se