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Gifts have achieved considerable prominence as elements of social interaction in contemporary American society. On many occasions we are expected to signify our good wishes to others by giving them presents. Thus, gifts are exchanged at Christmastime; birthdays are not complete without presents; even Easter baskets and Valentine candy have become popular. Likewise, on Mother's Day and Father's Day, it is not sufficient to remember and honor our parents; custom requires that we show our feelings in a material, tangible form. The list of socially encouraged occasions for giving is indeed a large one, and when this list is exhausted there still remain certain occasions where although custom does not demand a gift, many people bring or send a present as a means of expressing their sentiments.
Since this means of expression has become so important in our culture, the gift merits a certain amount of systematic attention and investigation. And yet, while several writers have discussed the psychology of giving and receiving (for example, Abraham (2), Fenichel (4), more recently, Perls (10) and many others), little has been written about the gift, itself, and its significance in the communicative process. To be sure, any separation of the gift from the giver and the act of giving on the one hand, and the receiver and the act of getting on the other, must be arbitrary. The whole process of giving and receiving is a continuous and interrelated one. In this respect the gift is much like speech, and as Lorenz (9) has commented, language (in our case, the gift) acquires meaning only as a part of a “triad situation” involving speaker, hearer and content (donor, recipient and gift). However, in this discussion, we shall focus on the gift, itself, as a means of communication. We shall not attempt a detailed