AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Brigitte Gaal Cluver for ...

of a gift, a consumer may communicate a message to the gift giver. Before disposing
of the gift, informants in Rucker et al.’s (1992) study claimed to assess their
relationship with the giver, noting that disposition my communicate disrespect to the
giver. In fact, Sherry et al. (1992) found that subjects were less likely to dispose of
gifts when the gifts were from immediate kin, someone important, someone whose
feeling might be hurt as a result of disposition, or when the gifts were especially
thoughtful. Not only can gift disposition communicate a negative message to the
giver, but it can also communicate negative aspects of the self, such as being selfish,
unkind, thoughtless, or unappreciative (Sherry et al., 1992). A gift represents the
relationship an individual has with the gift-giver, and therefore the disposal of a gift
may also represents and communicates the individual’s feelings about the
relationship. In fact, informants in Sherry et al.’s (1992) study fantasized about
destroying unwanted gifts as a means of revenge on the gift giver. By profaning the
gift, they profane the relationship.
Disposition to Preserve a Relationship
Disposition behavior may serve as a tool to preserve a relationship. For
example, when McAlexander (1991) studied disposition behavior within the context of
divorce he found that in cases where informants did not wish to dissolve their marital
relationships, they made disposal decision that would maintain, rather than sever,
their relationships with their ex-spouses. An individual may hold onto possessions
that he/she believes the ex-spouse will need in the future, in hopes that the ex-
spouse’s need for the item will bring future interaction. Or, an individual may willingly
pass items on to an ex-spouse in hopes of maintaining a pleasant relationship.
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