摘要：In the modern social and economic environment of Russia, gratitude might be consideredan ambiguous phenomenon. It can have different meaning for a person in different contextsand can manifest itself differently as well (that is, as an expression of sincere feelings or asan element of corruption). In this respect it is topical to investigate the system of meaningsand relationships that define the semantic space of gratitude. The goal of the study was theinvestigation and description of the content and structure of the semantic space of the gratitudephenomenon as well as the determination of male, female, age, and ethnic peculiaritiesof the expression of gratitude. The objective was achieved by using the semantic differentialdesigned by the authors to investigate attitudes toward gratitude. This investigation was carriedout with the participation of 184 respondents (Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Jews) livingin the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Israel, Australia, Canada, and theUnited Kingdom and identifying themselves as representatives of one of these nationalities.The structural components of gratitude were singled out by means of exploratory factor analysisof the empirical data from the designed semantic differential. Gender, age, and ethnicdifferences were differentiated by means of Student’s t-test. Gratitude can be represented bymaterial and nonmaterial forms as well as by actions in response to help given. The empiricaldata allowed us to design the ethnically nonspecified semantic structure of gratitude. Duringthe elaboration of the differential, semantic universals of gratitude, which constitute its psychosemanticcontent, were distinguished. Peculiarities of attitudes toward gratitude by thosein different age and gender groups were revealed. Differences in the degree of manifestationof components of the psychosemantic structure of gratitude related to ethnic characteristicswere not discovered. The semantic universals of gratitude are grouped into the componentsof its semantic structure: intentional, relational, essential, and expressive. These structuralelements are present in the representatives of all the nationalities who participated in thestudy. The men were more likely than the women to demonstrate the instrumental understandingof gratitude. The women were more likely than the men to reflect humanistic ideasof gratitude. The romantic and noble idea of gratitude was dominant in representatives of theyounger generation (18-year-olds). The young adults (19-to-25-year-olds) tended to demonstratesocial realism to a larger extent than respondents in the other age groups. In respondentswho were 26-years-old and above, humanistic assessment and collectivist values withrespect to gratitude significantly decreased.
