從「感恩」出發－－尋找向上提升的力量

Gratitude Is The Power That Triggers Minds Upward Towards Well-being

歸功正向心理學所賜，經由系統性的重新組織，讓許多早已被提出多年卻尚未受到重視的正向議題重獲關注，更促使傳統上被高度被珍視的美德及人格－「感恩」得以受到重視並呈現於世人眼前。鑑於當前社會感恩意識普遍缺失令人憂心，「忘恩」情緒及精神「真空」現象足以令人向下沉淪。為免忘恩危機日益惡化，本文自感恩出發，藉由相關理論及實徵研究的回顧與評析，一方面深入探討感恩原貌，另方面提出增進感恩之方，期待每個人對感恩都能「知」「行」合一，因為了解感恩，所以付諸行動，讓感恩成為個人優勢，在生命中永續發展。全文內容首先引述感恩的歷史發展，其次提出感恩的本質意涵，接續綜整感恩的理論學說，再來介紹測量感恩的工具，進一步分析感恩對個人之益處，最後針對如何在生活中實踐感恩提出具體建議。雖然橫跨幾世紀的感恩已有些許進展，但感恩在社會科學上仍為嬰兒。隨著正向心理學運動的方興未艾，當前正是一個重新找回感恩的時刻，促使人類心靈得以向上提升的力量，就讓你我從「感恩」開始。

Due to positive psychology movement, it reorganize some positive issues having existed for long time in domains of psychology. Moreover, it allows gratitude treated as a highly prized virtue and character to appear again. Nowadays, it is worried that lacking conscience of gratitude. Moreover, being ungrateful will make minds downward and worse. To prevent the condition, we review and analyze lots of theories and empirical studies about gratitude to stress importance of the issue. On the one hand, we hope that everyone realizes what gratitude is. On the other hand, we also expect that everyone put gratitude into practice in his life. Firstly, the current article introduces the development of gratitude. Secondly, it introduces origins and contents of gratitude. Thirdly, it reviews literatures and theories of gratitude. Fourthly, it introduces measurement scales of gratitude. Fifthly, it analyze benefits of gratitude. Finally, it suggests some methods to exercise gratitude in daily life. Although some inroads have been made, the social scientific study of gratitude is in its infancy. With the emergence of the positive psychology movement, now is the time for renewed focus on gratitude as a valued subjective experience, a source of human strength, and in integral element promoting minds upward towards well-being.