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The relational framing perspective on taboo exchanges addresses a number of issues that have also been the subjects of considerable interpretive research and theorizing. This commentary highlights interpretive work on gift giving, love, sacredness, purity, and boundaries as it pertains to exchange taboos. It suggests that there is a ritual and moral substrate that underlies exchange behaviors. It concludes that the interpretive perspective may deepen relational framing by revealing an ideal moral template that guides behavior and leads to polite ruses in order to reframe behaviors that violate these norms. It further suggests that there is much to be gained by integrating insights from consumer psychology with those of consumer sociology and consumer anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barone, Shrimp, and Sprott (this issue) attempted to replicate and extend the mere-ownership effect (Beggan, 1992), the tendency of an owner, relative to a nonowner, to enhance the perceived attractiveness of an object merely because it is owned They reported that five experiments failed to provide consistent evidence of the mere-ownership effect We suggest that Barone et al. are excessively critical of their own results and, in fact, do obtain the mere-ownership effect. Our assertion is based on a meta-analysis of their data, an important limitation of their methodology, and problems with their statistical analyses Despite the different slant we give their research findings, we recognize that Barone et al.'s efforts identify a number of issues that could serve as the basis for future research. These topics include (a) determining whether the mere-ownership effect has greater influence on certain kinds of judgments, (b) the role of dissatisfaction with a possession on judgments about the self, and (c) the role of the self in conceptualizing the gift-giving and gift-receiving process. It may also be productive to consider the practical benefits of the mere-ownership effect to society and social interaction. According to the mere-ownership effect, what people have appeals to them more than to others. Thus, the mere-ownership effect may serve to reduce envy and, therefore, reduce social conflict. The mere-ownership effect may also reduce the experience of regret (Brehm, 1966) and lead to enhanced positive affect. To the extent that positive emotions enhance decision making and problem solving (e.g., Isen & Means, 1983; Isen, Means, Patrick, & Nowicki, 1982), the mere-ownership effect may also indirectly contribute to these psychological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]