Between gratitude and gratuity an analysis of tipping

Abstract

The phenomenon of tipping is regarded in this article as representing a basic problem in many service situations: the need to reconcile the economic, social, and psychological elements of server-client interaction. Tipping is analyzed from three perspectives: economic, social, and social-psychological. It is demonstrated that economic exchange and social exchange rationales, while providing important insights into the phenomenon, cannot capture all its aspects. The prevalence of tipping in tourist situations is a case in point. It is shown that only the introduction of social psychological considerations into the analysis helps to account for tourist tipping. Several propositions for further studies of tipping are offered and the wider theoretical and practical significance of the phenomenon is pointed out.