Perspectives on Gratitude: An interdisciplinary approach

257 Pages·2016·3.748 MB·English

by  David Carr

Perspectives on Gratitude
Psychologists, philosophers, theologians and educationalists have all lately
explored various conceptual, moral, psychological and pedagogical dimen-
sions of gratitude in a rapidly expanding academic and popular literature.
However, while the distinguished contributors to this work hail from these
distinct disciplines, they have been brought together in this volume precisely
in recognition of the need for a more interdisciplinary perspective on the
topic.
While further developing such more familiar debates in the field as
whether it is appropriate to feel grateful in circumstances in which there
is no obvious benefactor, whether it is proper to feel grateful to those who
have benefited one only from a sense of duty and whether it makes sense to
be grateful if so doing colludes with injustice, the essays in this collection
explore a wide variety of fresh conceptual, psychological and moral issues.
For example, in addition to identifying some new moral paradoxes about
gratitude and seeking a generally more morally discriminating approach to
gratitude education, relations are explored between gratitude and humility,
forgiveness and appreciation, and the religious and spiritual dimensions of
the concept are also given much overdue attention.
By virtue of serious academic attention to the study of gratitude within
an interdisciplinary context, Perspectives on Gratitude will be of value to
academics and graduate students in the fields of philosophy, psychology and
theology, as well as other research-based disciplines.
David Carr is Professor of Ethics and Education at the Jubilee Centre for
Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK.
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Perspectives on Gratitude
An interdisciplinary approach
Edited by David Carr
First published 2016
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 D. Carr
The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Carr, David, 1940- editor.
Title: Perspectives on Gratitude: An interdisciplinary approach /
edited by David Carr.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015033989
Subjects: LCSH: Gratitude.
Classification: LCC BJ1533.G8 G7325 2016 | DDC 179/.9--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015033989
ISBN: 978-1-138-83093-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-73689-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by HWA Text and Data Management, London
This volume is dedicated to the memory of Claudia Card (1940–2015),
a distinguished philosopher and dear friend.
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Contents
List of contributors xi
Introduction 1
Part I
Gratitude and flourishing: psychology and morality 11
1 Gratitude’s value 13
TErranCE MCConnEll
2 Exploring how gratitude trains cognitive processes
important to well-being 27
PHIlIP C. WaTKIns and dUnCan MCCUrraCH
3 The freedom to feel grateful: the view from classical
antiquity 41
daVId KonsTan
Part II
Gratitude and related concepts 55
4 Gratitude and humility 57
roBErT C. roBErTs
5 The construct of appreciation: it is so much more than
gratitude 70
nanCy s. FaGlEy
viii Contents
6 are gratitude and forgiveness symmetrical? 85
sEan MCalEEr
Part III
Problems about gratitude 97
7 Gratitude to the decent rescuer 99
ClaUdIa Card
8 Gratitude toward things 112
PaTrICK BolEyn-FITzGErald
9 Gratitude: the dark side 126
saUl sMIlansKy
Part IV
Spiritual and religious dimensions of gratitude 139
10 Is gratitude queen of the virtues and ingratitude king of
the vices? 141
roBErT a. EMMons
11 a psychological perspective on gratitude and religion 154
Jo-ann TsanG and sTEPHEn r. MarTIn
12 Counting blessings: towards a spiritual conception of
gratitude 169
daVId Carr
Part V
Gratitude interventions in education and research 183
13 Promoting the development of gratitude to build
character and improve society 185
GIaCoMo Bono and CHrIsToPHEr odUdU
14 an empirical exploration of the normative dimensions
of gratitude 199
lIz GUllIFord and BlaIrE MorGan
Contents ix
15 The state of psychological research into gratitude and
the need for more interdisciplinary collaboration 215
adaM daVIdson and alEx M. Wood
Gratitude: an educational postscript 229
daVId Carr
Index 235