Gift Giving Perceptions in Romantic Relationships: A Consumer Behavior Perspective

Abstract

Purpose It is commonly seen that people, often times, tend to stress while buying gifts for their significant others. However, there are also people that enjoy the whole experience. Why is it stressful for some, and enjoyable for others? Why does it seem like an obligation to some, but pleasurable to others? Researchers previously showed how attachment orientations of an individual play a role in determining whether they are likely to percieve gift giving as pleasureable or as a chore. The findings were taken a step ahead by also incorporating the impact of a “gift recipient’s attachment orientation” on gift giver’s perception of gift giving. The purpose of this research is to extend their findings, firstly, by incorporating both situational (relationship satisfaction) and stable (self-esteem) factors into the research, secondly, by collecting data from people in an established romantic relationship (engaged or married) and thirdly, by confirming previous findings in an eastern context for the first time.