Abstract
The social emotions gratitude and envy are central to the lives of Guatemalan youth and to their society more broadly. Perspective-taking, the social–cognitive process that allows one to assume another’s point of view, may affect both the experience and expression of gratitude and envy. In this convergent mixed-methods study, perspective-taking was studied in relation to gratitude and envy. Sixty-four Guatemalan adolescents, ages 12–17 (Mage = 13.52 years, SD = 3.66, 53.1% girls), completed scales measuring gratitude, envy, and perspective-taking. For the qualitative portion, they read one gratitude and one envy vignette and completed a series of open-ended questions about the story characters. Two multiple regression analyses revealed that better perspective-takers were more grateful and less envious. Thematic analysis of the open-ended responses uncovered seven levels of perspective-taking. Complex perspective-taking was revealed when adolescents inferred the perspective of both story characters, created positive social outcomes even in situations of envy, and inferred consequences of the interactions. These findings imply that promoting perspective-taking may be one way to decrease envy and promote gratitude in this majority world cultural context. The findings from this study may inform the creation of culturally sensitive social-emotional learning programs that promote well-being through positive interpersonal relationships.
Impact and Implications
For Guatemalan adolescents, higher levels of perspective-taking were associated with greater gratitude and less envy. Qualitative analyses of their perspective-taking revealed that prosocial behaviors were possible in both experiences with gratitude and envy, perhaps due to the importance of preserving close interpersonal relations for these youth. These findings can form both the third (Good Health and Well-Being) and fourth (Quality Education) Sustainable Development Goals, as interventions designed to increase perspective-taking in Guatemalan youth may contribute to well-being via increased gratitude and decreased envy. Schools focused on providing students with a well-rounded education may consider facilitating such interventions to promote positive interpersonal interactions and relationships.
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