The article analyzes discussions about whether gratitude is an experience or a personal trait and part of the worldview. It is shown that the researchers focused on two components of gratitude: cognitive one (rational assessment of the actions usefulness of other or certain events) and affective one (experiencing a set of positive emotions: joy, admiration). Recently, the idea that gratitude is a personality trait has become widespread. In our opinion, gratitude is a basic life guideline, which is manifested in the cognitive aspect – assessing what a person has, awareness of the time perspective of life, understanding the manifestations of positivity (implicit theory of the positive world), in the affective aspect – experiencing specific emotions, reverence, admiration, affection) during the meeting with certain objects, which, in fact, chooses the person himself, in the behavioral aspect – control of their own attention to focus on the positive in the current moment, as well as choosing more optimal response strategies.

Researches of the gratitude impact on the experience of well-being and its individual aspects have shown that there are complex interrelationships between gratitude and the parameters of personal well-being. On the one hand, gratitude contributes to the formation of positive relationships, because the person encourages others to justify his hopes. On the other hand, gratitude reduces hedonistic adaptation and encourages the individual not to take the positive aspects of his life for granted, and thus becomes a personal resource when experiencing stress.

There are formalized social practices of gratitude – certain rituals of expression of gratitude on clearly defined “holidays”. The actual implementation of the act of gratitude has a relatively low effect. The most effective personal practices of gratitude are considered to be cognitive – the actualization of the experience of gratitude by increasing attention to small details and awareness of their importance while reducing the focus on fair exchange with the world. In particular, making various forms of lists of things and phenomena for which a person is grateful, solving hypothetical situations, writing letters of gratefulness, and so on. When applying such practices, their diversity is important to maintain the motivation of an individual to use them.

Key words: gratitude, well-being personality, positive emotion, gratitude practice, optimal functioning.

References

1. Оrtega-i-Gаssеt, H. (2006), “Uprising of the masses”, in Raihorodskyi, D. Ya. (Ed.), Mаss Psychology, BAHRAH-М, Sаmаrа, pp. 195-314.
2. Klifton, D. and Rat, T. (2014), The power of optimism: Why positive people live longer, Аlpina Pablisher, Moscow.
3. Nelson, N. S. and Kalaba, D. L. (2005), The power of gratitude: The key to a fulfilling life, Sоfiia, Moscow.
4. Matthews, A. (2021), Follow your heart, Fors Ukraine, Kyiv.
5. Hibbert, N. (2021), I have the right. A book about happiness by your rules, Коmsоmоlskаia Pravda, Moscow.
6. Biron, B. V. and Portiankina, K. O. (2017), The influence of gratitude on the experience of a creative personality of stressful events, Theoretical and applied problems of psychology, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 26–36.
7. Korchakova, N. V. (2013), Gratitude strategies as an element of prosocial behaviour, Psychology: reality and prospects, Vol. 2, pp. 90–95.
8. Liubomyrskyi, S. (2007), The How of Happiness; A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want, Penguin Books.
9. Watson, D. and Naragon-Gainey, K. (2010), “On the specificity of positive emotional dysfunction in psychopathology: Evidence from the mood and anxiety disorders and schizophrenia/schizotypy”, Clinical psychology review,30, No. 7, pp. 839–848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.002
10. Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Stewart, N., Linley, P. A. and Joseph, S. (2008), “A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude”, Gratitude, Vol. 8, pp. 281–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.8.2.281
11. Wood, A. M., Joseph, S. and Maltby, J. (2009), “Gratitude predicts psychological well-being above the big five facets”, Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 46, pp. 443–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.11.012
12. McCullough, M. E., Kilpatrick, S. D., Emmons, R. A. and Larson, D. B. (2001), “Is gratitude a moral affect?”, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 127, pp. 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249
13. Emmons, R. and McCullough, M. (2003), “Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life”, Journal of personality and social psychology, Vol. 84, No. 2, pp. 377–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377
14. Emmons, R. A. and Stern, R. (2013), “Gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention”, Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 69, No. 8, pp. 846–855. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22020
15. Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J. and Geraghty, A. W. A. (2010), “Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration”, Clinical psychology review, Vol. 30, No. 7, pp. 890–905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
16. Кislitsa, G. K. (2016), A study of the phenomenology of the experience of gratitude, Bulletin of St. Petersburg State University, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 65–74.
17. Кliain, M. (1997), Envy and gratitude. Exploring unconscious sources, B.S.K, St. Petersburg.
18. Nartova-Bochaver, S. K. and Кislitsa, G. K. (2017), “The experience of gratitude as personal resource: Toward a problem statement, Psychological journal, Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 42–51, available at: 7868/S0205959217060046.
19. DeShea, L. A. (2003), “Scenario-based scale of willingness to forgive”, Individual Differences Research, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 201–217.
20. Farwell, L. and Wohlwend-Lloyd, R. (1998), “Narcissistic processes: Optimistic expectations, favorable self-evaluations, and self-enhancing attributions”, Journal of personality, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 65–83, available at: 10.1111/1467-6494.t01-2-00003.https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00003
21. Maltby, J., Day, L. and Barber, L. (2004), ‘Forgiveness and mental health variables: Interpreting the relationship using an adaptional-continuum model of personality and coping”, Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 37, pp. 1629–1641, available at: 10.1016/j.paid.2004.02.017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.02.017
22. Tsang, J. A. (2006), “Gratitude and prosocial behavior: An experimental test of gratitude”, Cognition and emotion, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 138–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930500172341
23. Lambert, M. N., Clark, S. M., Durtschi, J. A. and Fincham, F. D. (2010), “Benefits of expressing gratitude: Expressing gratitude to a partner changes one’s view of the relationship”, Psychological science, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 574–580, available at: 1177/0956797610364003. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610364003
24. Danylchenko, T. V. (2016), “Subjective social well-being: psychological dimension, Chernihiv, Desna Polygraph. https://doi.org/10.29038/2227-1376-2016-28-93-107
25. Shibutani, T. (1999), Social psychology, Feniks, Rostov-on-Don.
26. Algoe, S. B., Haidt, J. and Gable, S. L. (2008), “Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life”, Emotion, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 425–429. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.8.3.425
27. Algoe, S. B., Gable, S. L. and Maisel, N. C. (2010), “It’s the little things: Everyday gratitude as a booster shot for romantic relationships”, Personal Relationships, Vol. 17, pp. 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01273.x
28. Wood, A. M., Joseph, S. and Linley, P. A. (2007), “Coping style as a psychological resource of grateful people”, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 26, pp. 1108–1125. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2007.26.9.1076
29. Fredrickson, B. L. (2004), “Gratitude, like other positive emotions, broadens and builds”, in Emmons, R. A. and McCullough, M. E. (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 145–166, available at: 1093/asprof:oso/9780195150100.003.0008. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195150100.003.0008
30. Bao, J. and Lyubomirsky, S. (2014), “Making it last: Combating hedonic adaptation in romantic relationships”, The Journal of Positive Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 196–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.777765
31. Sheldon, K. M., Boehm, J. K. and Lyubomirsky, S. (2012), “Variety is the spice of happiness: The hedonic adaptation prevention (HAP) model”, in David, S. A., Boniwell, I. and Ayers, A. C. (Eds.), Oxford handbook online,1–18, available at: 10/1093/oxfordhb/9780199557257.013.0067.
32. Dalay-Lama and Ekman, P. (2011), Wisdom of East and West. Psychology of balance, Piter, St. Petersburg.
33. Joseph, S. and Linley, P. A. (2005), “Positive adjustment to threatening events: An organismic valuing theory of growth through adversity”, Review of General Psychology, 9, pp. 262–280. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.262
34. Linley, P. A., Maltby, J., Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., Peterson, C., et al. (2007). “Character strengths in the United Kingdom: The VIA inventory of strengths”, Personality and Individual Differences, 43, pp. 341–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.12.004
35. Emmons, R. A. and Shelton, C. M. (2002), “Gratitude and the science of positive psychology”, in Snyder, C. R. and Lopez, S. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology, Oxford University press, pp. 459–471.
36. Watkins, P., Woodward, K. and Stone, T. (2003), “Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being”, Social Behavior and Personality, Vol. 31, pp. 431–452. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2003.31.5.431
37. Seligman, M. (2011), Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being, Free press, New-York.
38. McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A. and Tsang, J. (2002), “The Grateful Disposition: A conceptual and Empirical Topography”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 82, pp. 112–127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.1.112