Linguistic and thematic differences in written letters of gratitude to God and gratitude toward others

IF 3.4 2区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY Journal of Positive Psychology Pub Date : 2023-10-03 DOI:10.1080/17439760.2023.2265330

Adam S. Hodge, Heidi M. Ellis, Sabrina Zuniga, Hansong Zhang, Cameron W. Davis, Aaron T. McLaughlin, Joshua N. Hook, Don E. Davis, Daryl R. Van Tongeren

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Abstract

There is a dearth of empirical research distinguishing gratitude to God (GTG) from interhuman gratitude (IHG). This study explored linguistic (quantitative) and thematic (qualitative) differences in letters of GTG and letters of IHG. Participants (N = 326 undergraduate students) were randomly assigned to write (a) a letter of GTG, (b) a letter of IHG, or (c) a description of their daily morning routine. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 was used to examine linguistic differences and conventional content analysis was used to explore thematic differences. Few linguistic differences were observed between the gratitude-writing conditions, but both gratitude conditions reported more affective, cognitive, and past-focused time-oriented language compared to the control condition. Qualitative analyses revealed participants in the GTG condition identified a greater breadth and depth of benefits compared to the IHG condition, and there were unique differences pertaining to non-gratitude expressions. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

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感谢上帝和感谢他人的书信在语言和主题上的差异

对上帝感恩(GTG)和人与人之间感恩(IHG)的实证研究比较缺乏。本研究探讨了GTG和IHG信函在语言(定量)和主题(定性)上的差异。参与者(N = 326名本科生)被随机分配写(a)一封GTG的信，(b)一封IHG的信，或(c)描述他们每天早上的例行公事。使用2015年语言调查和字数统计来检查语言差异，使用常规内容分析来探索主题差异。在表达感激的条件下，语言差异很小，但与控制条件相比，这两种条件都报告了更多的情感、认知和过去关注的时间导向语言。定性分析显示，与IHG组相比，GTG组的参与者识别出了更大的广度和深度的利益，并且在非感激表达方面存在独特的差异。讨论了局限性和未来研究的方向。

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来源期刊

Journal of Positive Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

9.90

自引率

7.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Positive psychology is about scientifically informed perspectives on what makes life worth living. It focuses on aspects of the human condition that lead to happiness, fulfillment, and flourishing. The Journal of Positive Psychology provides an interdisciplinary and international forum for the science and application of positive psychology. The Journal is devoted to basic research and professional application on states of optimal human functioning and fulfillment, and the facilitation and promotion of well-being. The Journal brings together leading work in positive psychology undertaken by researchers across different subdisciplines within psychology (e.g., social, personality, clinical, developmental, health, organizational), as well as across other social and behavioral disciplines.