Vale-presente: como fica a dimensão simbólica do ato de presentear?

Abstract

Verifying the coming out of a new way to give a gift – the bonus-gift, this work have sought to answer the survey-main-question, as follows: Does the increasing of giftbonus approach indicates a trend of symbolism reduction of the act to give a gift? The applied methodology was the grounded theory through interviews with 17 people in two cities of Minas Gerais countryside. As a result of the investigation were taken the following categories: A gift that was made for you; reciprocity; the symbol by excellence; the lord and the slave; the gift-bonus. The results have shown that the act to give a present, even with the growing of gift-bonus, remains predominantly a symbolic ritual. The gift-bonus, even not having good acceptance among the majority of respondents, was considered appropriate in certain contexts. The results contribute to the theoretical elements of anthropology to a better understanding of the behavior to give gifts, as well as being an important step in order to build a scale that allows quantifying the dimensions of the ritual to give a present. In managerial terms, the work contributes to the identification a time-factor and its pecial significance in the choice of a gift, which emphasizes the physical or virtual retail convenience dimension as an important decision element.