Gift Giving in Enduring Dyadic Relationships

The Micropolitics of Mother-Daughter Gift Exchange

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2237201
AutoresChihling Liu (0000-0002-8290-1261, Lancaster University, autor de correspondencia), Robert V Kozinets (0000-0003-1724-8259, University of Southern California), Anthony Patterson (0000-0003-1508-9258, Lancaster University), Xin Zhao (0000-0002-6232-9835, Lancaster University)
EditoresEileen Fischer (0000-0002-8212-0414), Lisa Leimar Price (0000-0002-1746-3066), Linda L Price, Markus Giesler, Craig J Thompson (0000-0001-9308-6736)
Año2024
Volumen51
Número3
Páginas616-633
Fecha de publicación2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Consumer Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0093-5301 • E-ISSN: 1537-5277
EditorialOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/jcr/ucae002
OpenAlexW4390731170
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas82

This article investigates the dynamics of long-term gift exchange between British mothers and their adult daughters, delving into the processes behind dyadic gift giving. Through 54 comprehensive interviews, we elaborate the micropolitics that characterize these dynamics. Micropolitics refers to the subtle, everyday interactions, including gift exchange, that shape the ongoing negotiation of roles and the management of conflict or consensus within relationships. The study uncovers how these micropolitics manifest through four distinct processes of gift exchange: confirming, endorsing, connoting, and commanding. Gifts emerge as key instruments in this negotiation, serving as a medium for the reciprocal regulation of role behavior concerning gender, identity, and both endo-dyadic (within the dyad) and exo-dyadic (outside the dyad) roles. In contrast to previous research that adopts a synchronic (snapshot) approach to gift giving, our diachronic (over time) perspective emphasizes how power dynamics, intent, and identity politics evolve to sustain and transform relationships. Our findings illustrate the important communicative and power-laden processes of gift exchange in enduring relations, explaining why even unwanted gifts can have significant bonding value. Our study offers fresh perspectives on the continuous evolution of relationship and role dynamics, as viewed through the practices of gift exchange

Aesthetics · Dyad · Gift giving · Identity (music) · Negotiation · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Power (physics) · Reciprocal · Social exchange theory · Sociology · Conflict Management and Negotiation · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology