Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia

Gratitude has generally been neglected by psychologists due to the emphasis on the medical model. A dearth of research on gratitude in Malaysia was the main impetus for these studies. Study 1 compared the gratitude scores Malaysian Malays against the US, UK, China and Japan, along an individualist-c...

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Main Authors: Noor, Noraini M., Abdul Rahman, Nur Diana, Mohamad Zahari, Muhammad Idlan Afiq
Format: Article
Language:English
English
English
Published: Srinakharinwirot University-Behavioral Science Research Institute 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/1/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/2/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention_SCOPUS.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/3/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention_WOS.pdf
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author Noor, Noraini M.
Abdul Rahman, Nur Diana
Mohamad Zahari, Muhammad Idlan Afiq
author_facet Noor, Noraini M.
Abdul Rahman, Nur Diana
Mohamad Zahari, Muhammad Idlan Afiq
author_sort Noor, Noraini M.
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description Gratitude has generally been neglected by psychologists due to the emphasis on the medical model. A dearth of research on gratitude in Malaysia was the main impetus for these studies. Study 1 compared the gratitude scores Malaysian Malays against the US, UK, China and Japan, along an individualist-collective continuum, and results showed Malays had lower gratitude scores than the others, except for the Japanese. To increase their gratitude scores, Study 2 carried out an intervention using ‘the three good things’ exercise on 59 students over a period of 14 days. The intervention increased gratitude and life satisfaction as well as reduced distress. Furthermore, a hierarchical regression examining the effect of gratitude on well-being controlling for measures of affect and religiosity at Time 1, showed that Time-2 gratitude was only predictive of Time-2 distress. The results are discussed with respect to the collectivist culture of the Malays where negative aspects of the self are valued as a form of self-criticism to help one to constantly improve oneself. Two main implications are noted: that there are cross-cultural differences in the way gratitude is understood and expressed in the Malay culture, and that engaging in positive activity may sometimes be counterproductive to well-being.
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spelling iium-321192019-07-15T01:15:19Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/ Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia Noor, Noraini M. Abdul Rahman, Nur Diana Mohamad Zahari, Muhammad Idlan Afiq HM Sociology HM1001 Social psychology Gratitude has generally been neglected by psychologists due to the emphasis on the medical model. A dearth of research on gratitude in Malaysia was the main impetus for these studies. Study 1 compared the gratitude scores Malaysian Malays against the US, UK, China and Japan, along an individualist-collective continuum, and results showed Malays had lower gratitude scores than the others, except for the Japanese. To increase their gratitude scores, Study 2 carried out an intervention using ‘the three good things’ exercise on 59 students over a period of 14 days. The intervention increased gratitude and life satisfaction as well as reduced distress. Furthermore, a hierarchical regression examining the effect of gratitude on well-being controlling for measures of affect and religiosity at Time 1, showed that Time-2 gratitude was only predictive of Time-2 distress. The results are discussed with respect to the collectivist culture of the Malays where negative aspects of the self are valued as a form of self-criticism to help one to constantly improve oneself. Two main implications are noted: that there are cross-cultural differences in the way gratitude is understood and expressed in the Malay culture, and that engaging in positive activity may sometimes be counterproductive to well-being. Srinakharinwirot University-Behavioral Science Research Institute 2018-07-20 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/1/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention.pdf application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/2/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention_SCOPUS.pdf application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/3/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention_WOS.pdf Noor, Noraini M. and Abdul Rahman, Nur Diana and Mohamad Zahari, Muhammad Idlan Afiq (2018) Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 13 (2). pp. 1-18. ISSN 1906-4675 https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/IJBS/article/view/123509/101297
spellingShingle HM Sociology
HM1001 Social psychology
Noor, Noraini M.
Abdul Rahman, Nur Diana
Mohamad Zahari, Muhammad Idlan Afiq
Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia
title Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia
title_full Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia
title_fullStr Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia
title_short Gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in Malaysia
title_sort gratitude, gratitude intervention and well-being in malaysia
topic HM Sociology
HM1001 Social psychology
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/1/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/2/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention_SCOPUS.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/32119/3/32119_Gratitude%2C%20Gratitude%20Intervention_WOS.pdf