The Disposition of the Gift and many Happy Returns

The symbolic exchange value of the gift is amenable to investigation via ethnographic methods and projective techniques. In this paper, the topic of gift disposition, which arose from a comparative ethnographic study of two midwestern American gift stores, is refined and elaborated through projective analysis. Attitudes and behaviors related to the disposition of the gift are difficult to elicit directly through observation or structured interview. Through the use of a modified thematic apperception test and other projective techniques a more balanced and comprehensive account of the gift disposition and gift return emerges.