نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
The present study aimed to develop an indigenous model of appreciation. Using a qualitative approach and framework analysis, interview items and guiding questions were first derived through a documentary review of Iranian religious texts and cultural sources. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 experts selected through purposeful maximum-variation sampling, and sampling continued until data saturation was reached. The findings indicate that, from the experts’ perspective, appreciation can be understood simply as receiving something good from another source. Accordingly, two forms of appreciation—genuine and inauthentic—were identified, which may increase positive or negative emotions. Based on the indigenous model, therapeutic actions can be implemented at three levels: cognitive (enhancing knowledge and awareness of appreciation, sources of appreciation, mechanisms of appreciation, and the provided/received benefit), emotional (increasing positive emotions, acceptance and openness, empathy, and viewing appreciation as an ethical virtue), and behavioral (a lifestyle of appreciation, listing sources of appreciation, daily appreciation practice, and nurturing inner and outer appreciation). To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, an audit trail of analytic decisions, direct quotations, peer debriefing, and feedback from a subset of participants was used.
کلیدواژهها English
Extended Abstract
1. Statement of the Problem
Despite the widespread emphasis of positive psychology on the role of gratitude in well-being and the prominent presence of this concept in religious and ethical texts, a review of the literature indicates that most existing studies have conceptualized gratitude mainly within definitions and measurement tools derived from Western cultural contexts. Relatively little attention has been given to the question of how gratitude is understood in the Iranian–Islamic culture, what sources and components it includes, and what distinctions it shows in comparison with the dominant models in non-indigenous literature. In other words, the main gap lies in the absence of a coherent, indigenous conceptual framework and model of gratitude that can account for its cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions, the sources and factors influencing the process of gratitude, the types of gratitude, and strategies for fostering it in accordance with the Iranian cultural–religious context. Accordingly, the present study seeks to extract and develop an indigenous model of gratitude by drawing on expert perspectives and utilizing religious–cultural texts, to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for designing interventions and programs aimed at promoting gratitude within this cultural context.
2. Research Method
The present study is a qualitative research aimed at developing an indigenous model of gratitude within the Iranian–Islamic culture. The main data of the study were collected through semi-structured interviews; therefore, interviews served as the data collection tool in this research, and the research method is considered a qualitative study using the framework analysis approach to extract themes and develop a conceptual model. To achieve the research objective, interviews were conducted with 15 local experts (five religious experts, five family counselors, and five specialists in cultural and sociological fields). Sampling was carried out using purposive, criterion-based sampling to ensure the inclusion of specialized perspectives relevant to the topic. The composition of participants was also selected using a maximum variation approach across the three aforementioned domains. The sample size was determined based on data adequacy and conceptual saturation; that is, sampling was discontinued after several interviews when concepts began to recur, and no new themes emerged.
3. Findings
Accordingly, in the indigenous model of gratitude, a form of cognitive redirection occurs, and genuine gratitude is understood as consistently directed toward God, His commandments, and whatever is bestowed. Therefore, in true gratitude toward God and His injunctions, mere perception or awareness of God is not sufficient; rather, grateful cognition, emotions, and behaviors must be enacted. In addition, gratitude extends to all dimensions of human life—from the metaphysical realm to the world, the social environment, and the self—and thus affects all aspects of an individual’s life. Based on this view, a grateful way of life, particularly in relation to God, accompanies the individual throughout all stages of life. In this regard, the indigenous model of gratitude indicates that specific sources, such as God, repeatedly encourage human beings to enumerate the benefits received from Him and provide practical strategies for doing so, thereby enhancing positive emotions such as gratitude in individuals. Finally, it should be stated that in the indigenous model, gratitude is not only recognized as a moral virtue, but should also be internalized as part of individuals’ personality characteristics and transformed into a grateful lifestyle, as human beings are expected to remain constantly mindful of God.
4. Acknowledgement & Funding
The manuscript did not receive a grant from any organization
5. Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
6. Author contribution
Hasan Azargoun; Email: azargoon_h@pnu.ac.ir; ORCID 0009-0001-9254-1167
