Online First and Just Accepted Articles List
Eliasian Themes

Thankful Enough? Gratitude and Ingratitude in Politics

Just Accepted
  • Waldemar Rapior
Waldemar Rapior
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/cambio-17844

Published 2026-02-12

Keywords

  • Gratitude,
  • civilizing process,
  • sociology of emotions,
  • diplomacy,
  • Polish-Ukrainian relationship,
  • solidarity,
  • Trump
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Rapior, W. (2026). Thankful Enough? Gratitude and Ingratitude in Politics. Cambio. Rivista Sulle Trasformazioni Sociali. https://doi.org/10.36253/cambio-17844

Copyright (c) 2026 Waldemar Rapior

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Robert van Krieken notes that Norbert Elias provides one of the most systematic sociological descriptions of the social and historical dynamics of various processes driving the pacification of hostility and the dismantling of antagonism. He states that Elias

wrote about the emotions that drive such antagonism, including aggression, anger, embarrassment, fear, shame, happiness, sadness, hatred, repugnance and disgust, and alongside his concern with the ways in which antagonism in human relations has been pacified over time (van Krieken 2024: 22)

Van Krieken lists a wide range of emotions, which surprisingly excludes gratitude. This article aims, among other things, to fill this gap. Gratitude is, in fact, as significant in the dialectical process of civilization/decivilization as national pride. We can consider gratitude a part of pacifying aggression, but also emerging antagonism. This article aims to analyze the dialectic of gratitude/ingratitude as political emotions; fill a gap in Eliasian sociology by including gratitude as a key emotional factor in the pacification and/or antagonization processes; show how gratitude serves to discipline international partners. Based on the example of US–Polish–Ukrainian relations in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this text demonstrates how the expression of and demand for gratitude connect to shaping the boundaries of international solidarity.

Just Accepted

References

  1. Abend, M. (2014), The Moral Background: An Inquiry into the History of Business Ethics, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  2. Abu El-Haj, N. (2025), Mahmoud Is Not Safe, in «The New York Review». Available at: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/03/15/mahmoud-khalil-is-not-safe (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  3. Anderson, B. (1983), Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, London: Verso.
  4. Angermüller, J. (2005), “Qualitative” Methods of Social Research in France: Reconstructing the Actor, Deconstructing the Subject, in «Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research», 6, 3. Available at: https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/8 (last accessed September 17, 2025).
  5. Babakova, O. (2025), Festiwal paniki i histerii, in «Dwutygodnik». Available at: https://www.dwutygodnik.com/felieton/11772-festiwal-paniki-i-histerii.html (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  6. Bálint, N. (2025), A pszichológiai felkészületlenség Zelenszkij és Ukrajna veszte, in «Patreon». Available at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/pszichologiai-es-123328429 (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  7. BBC News (2025), Musk and Rubio Spar with Polish Minister over Starlink in Ukraine. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87vg38dnpo (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  8. Bilewicz, M. (2024), Traumaland. Polacy w cieniu przeszłości, Kraków: Mando.
  9. Boudon, R. (1977), The Unintended Consequences of Social Action, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
  10. Brizard, L. (2025), Fact-Check: Zelenskyy Has Thanked the U.S. at Least 94 Times, in «FactCheck.org». Available at: https://www.factcheck.org/2025/03/fact-check-zelenskyy-has-thanked-the-u-s-at-least-94-times (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  11. Bromwich, D. (2019), The Medium is the Mistake, in «The New York Review». Available at: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/12/05/trump-television-medium-is-the-mistake (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  12. Bucholc, M. (2013), Samotność długodystansowca. Na obrzeżach socjologii Norberta Eliasa, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
  13. Burroughs, R. (2020), The Racialization of Gratitude in Victorian Culture, in «Journal of Victorian Culture», 25, 4, 477–491.
  14. Cantó-Milà, N. (2012), Gratitude – Invisibly Webbing Society Together, in «Journal of Classical Sociology», 13, 1, 8–19.
  15. Chomsky, N., Robinson, N. J. (2024), The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World, New York: Penguin Press.
  16. Cox, L. (2020), Nationalism: Themes, theories, and controversies, London: Springer.
  17. Chruślińska, I., Hrycak, J. (2022), Zrozumieć Ukrainę. Historia mówiona, Warszawa: Krytyka Polityczna.
  18. Ciesielska, P. (2025), Miażdżąca ocena Zełenskiego. Kraśko mówił przez kilkanaście minut, in «WP Wiadomości». Available at: https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/miazdzaca-ocena-zelenskiego-burza-w-sieci-po-slowach-krasko-7130379909417472a (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  19. Clément, M., Koschut, S. (2024), Emotions in International Relations, in H. Flam (ed.), Research Handbook on the Sociology of Emotion, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 380–399.
  20. Dale, D. (2025), Fact Check: 33 Times Zelensky Thanked Americans and US Leaders, in «CNN». Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/09/world/zelensky-thanks-america-33-times-fact-check/index.html (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  21. Davis, D. E., Choe, E., Meyers, J., Wade, N., Varjas, K., Gifford, A., Quinn, A., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Griffin, B. J., Worthington, E. L. (2016), Thankful for the Little Things: A Meta-Analysis of Gratitude Interventions, in «Journal of Counseling Psychology», 63, 1, 20–31.
  22. Douglas, M. (1966), Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  23. Dymek, J., Giełzak, M. (2024a), Wołyń, “niewdzięczna” Ukraina, sensacja w Rumunii i strategia mieszkaniowa Lewicy, in «Dwie Lewe Ręce». Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRs4WGBXk_U (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  24. Dymek, J., Giełzak, M. (2024b), Polska–Ukraina. Czas twardej gry?, in «Dwie Lewe Ręce». Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il80puUWMs4 (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  25. Dymek, M., Giełzak, M. (2025), Gra o Ukrainę, kapitulacja rządu przed alkolobby i masowe zwolnienia, in «Dwie Lewe Ręce». Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdnek20IOo (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  26. Dziennikarze Onetu. (2024), Konflikt o ukraińskie zboże wchodzi w kolejny etap. Wyjaśniamy, o co w nim chodzi, in «Onet.pl». Available at: https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/swiat/polsko-ukrainski-konflikt-o-zboze-wyjasniamy-o-co-chodzi-polskim-rolnikom/sp7kcfg (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  27. Elias, N. (1978), What is Sociology?, London: Hutchinson.
  28. Elias, N. (1991), The Society of Individuals, Oxford: Blackwell.
  29. Elias, N. (1994), The Civilizing Process, Oxford: Blackwell.
  30. Elias, N. (1996), Studies on the Germans: Power Struggles and the Development of Habitus in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, New York: Columbia University Press.
  31. Emmons, R. A. (2004), The Psychology of Gratitude: An Introduction, in R. A. Emmons, M. E. McCullough (eds), The Psychology of Gratitude, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3–16.
  32. Fassin, D. (2013), On Resentment and Ressentiment: The Politics and Ethics of Moral Emotions, in «Current Anthropology», 54, 3, 249–267.
  33. Fitzgerald, S. (2015), Politics as Theater, in S. Fitzgerald (ed.), Spectators in the Field of Politics, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 83–113.
  34. Floyd, S., Rossi, G., Baranova, J., Blythe, J., Dingemanse, M., Kendrick, K. H., Zinken, J., Enfield, N. J. (2018), Universals and Cultural Diversity in the Expression of Gratitude, in «Royal Society Open Science», 5, 5, 180391.
  35. Franzese, A. T., Seigler, C. P. (2020), Gratitude, in B. J. Carducci, C. S. Nave, J. S. Mio, R. E. Riggio (eds), The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118970843.ch338 (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  36. Garton Ash, T. (2023), With This Election Victory, Poland Is Smiling Again – and That’s Good for all of Europe. «The Guardian». Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/16/poland-general-election-civic-coalition-donald-tusk (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  37. Grant, A. M., Gino, F. (2010), A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way: Explaining Why Gratitude Expressions Motivate Prosocial Behavior, in «Journal of Personality and Social Psychology», 98, 6, 946–955.
  38. Green, E. L. (2025), The Politics of Gratitude: How Trump Insists on Thanks from Foreign Leaders, in «The New York Times». Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/us/politics/trump-zelensky-foreign-diplomacy.html (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  39. Heinich, N. (2014), Transcending Resentment: Elias and the Five Paths Towards an Other Sociology, in «Revue du MAUSS», 44, 2, 289–298.
  40. Huston, G. E., Law, K. H., Teague, S., Pardon, M., Muller, J. L., Jackson, B., Dimmock, J. A. (2024), Understanding and Optimising Gratitude Interventions: The Right Methods for the Right People at the Right Time, in «Psychology & Health», 40, 9, 1515-1531.
  41. Kaufmann, J-C. (2004), L’invention de soi: Une théorie de l’identité, Paris: Armand Colin.
  42. Kissinger, H. (1994), Diplomacy, New York: Simon & Schuster.
  43. Krajewski, M. (2023), (Nie)nawidzenia. Świat przez nienawiść, Kraków: Universitas.
  44. Lash, S., Lury, C. (2007), Global Culture Industry: The Mediation of Things, Cambridge: Polity Press.
  45. Lichtblau, K. (1994), Kausalität oder Wechselwirkung? Max Weber und Georg Simmel im Vergleich, in G. Wagner, H. Zippian (eds), Max Webers Wissenschaftslehre. Interpretation und Kritik, Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 527–562.
  46. Lin, J., Yin, K., Zhang, Y., Qu, Y. (2024), Social Construction of Gratitude: Combined Effect of Contextual Factors and Benefactor-Recipient Relationships on Interpersonal Gratitude, in «Humanit Soc Sci Commun», 11, 1730.
  47. Locklear L. R., Sheridan S., Kong D. T. (2022), Appreciating Social Science Research on Gratitude: An Integrative Review for Organisational Scholarship on Gratitude in the Workplace, in «J Organ Behav», 44, 2, 225–260.
  48. Mangone, E. (2019), Gratitude and the Relational Theory of Society, in «Hu Arenas», 2, 34–44.
  49. McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., Tsang, J.-A. (2002), The Grateful Disposition: A Conceptual and Empirical Topography, in «Journal of Personality and Social Psychology», 82, 1, 112–127.
  50. Mitchell, A. W. (2025), The Return of Great-Power Diplomacy: How Strategic Dealmaking Can Fortify American Power, in «Foreign Affairs». Available at: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/return-great-power-diplomacy-strategy-wess-mitchell# (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  51. Mouffe, Ch. (2002), Politics and Passions, London: Centre for the Study of Democracy.
  52. O’Toole, F. (2025a), Shredding the Postwar Order, in «The New York Review». Available at: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/04/24/shredding-the-postwar-order-fintan-otoole (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  53. O’Toole, F. (2025b), Forced Amnesia, in «The New York Review». Available at: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/05/29/forced-amnesia-fintan-otoole (last accessed July 7, 2025).
  54. Pepperell, N. (2016), The Unease with Civilization: Norbert Elias and the Violence of the Civilizing Process, in «Thesis Eleven», 137, 1, 3–21.
  55. Pomerantsev, P. (2014), Nothing is True and Everything is Possible, New York: PublicAffairs.
  56. Pomerantsev, P. (2024), How to Win an Information War, New York: PublicAffairs.
  57. Pomerantsev, P., Majmuerk, J. (2025), Zachód musi prowadzić własną wojnę hybrydową z Rosją, in «Krytyka Polityczna». Available at: https://krytykapolityczna.pl/swiat/pomerantsev-delmer-jak-wygrac-wojne-informacyjna-z-putinem (last accessed May 26, 2025).
  58. Power, S. (2016), US Diplomacy: Realism and Reality, in «The New York Review». Available at: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/08/18/us-diplomacy-realism-and-reality (last accessed May 26, 2025).
  59. Rapior, W. (2022), Podróże wewnętrzne, ponadgraniczna solidarność. Oddolne inicjatywy prouchodźcze i sprawczość współdziałania, in «Czas Kultury», 3, 132–151.
  60. Rapior, W. (2023), Mobilizing and Relativizing Violence: Interactional Aspects of Violence in Equal Status Groups Facing Moral Dilemma, in «View: Theories and Practices of Visual Culture», 36. Available at: https://www.pismowidok.org/en/archive/2023/36-visibilty-and-invisibility-of-violence/mobilising-and-relativising-violence (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  61. Rotkirch, A., Lyons, M., David-Barrett, T., Jokela, M. (2014), Gratitude for Help among Adult Friends and Siblings, in «Evolutionary Psychology», 12, 4, 673–686.
  62. Schmitt, C. (2007), The Concept of the Political, Chicago, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  63. Sikora, A. (2025), Co robić, gdy wali się świat? Mały poradnik na czas trumpizmu i innych zaskoczeń, in «OKO.press». Available at: https://oko.press/co-robic-gdy-wali-sie-swiat-maly-poradnik-na-czas-trumpizmu-i-innych-zaskoczen (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  64. Sikorski, R. (2025), I’m the Foreign Minister of Poland: Europe Has Got the Message, in «New York Times». Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/opinion/poland-europe-radoslaw-sikorski.html (last accessed May 26, 2025).
  65. Simmel, G. (1908), Faithfulness and Gratitude, in K. H. Wolff (ed. and trans.), The Sociology of Georg Simmel, Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1950, 379-395.
  66. Simmel G. (1992), Gesamtausgabe, in 24 Bänden: Band 11: Soziologie. Untersuchungen über die Formen der Vergesellschaftung, Frankfurt/Main: Suhrkamp.
  67. Skey, M. 2006. Carnivals of Surplus Emotion? Towards an Understanding of the Significance of Ecstatic Nationalism in a Globalising World, in «Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism», 6, 2, 143–161.
  68. Snyder, T. (2025), Antisemitism in the Oval Office: A Confrontation Seen with a Historian’s Eye, in «Substack». Available at: https://snyder.substack.com/p/antisemitism-in-the-oval-office (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  69. Sontag, S. (2003), Regarding the Pain of Others, New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
  70. Spektor, M. (2023), In Defense of The Fence Sitters: What the West Gets Wrong About Hedging, in «Foreign Affairs». Available at: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/global-south-defense-fence-sitters (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  71. Trager, R. F. (2016), The Diplomacy of War and Peace, in «Annual Review of Political Science», 19, 205–228.
  72. Turner, J. H., Roberts, A. J. (2023), Inter-Societal Dynamics Toward a General Theory, Cham: Springer.
  73. Urry, J. (1999), Sociology Beyond Societies: Mobilities for the Twenty-First Century, London and New York: Routledge.
  74. van Hulzen, M. (2021), Gratitude and That Which We Cannot Return: Critical Reflections on Gratitude, in «ZEMO», 4, 109–119.
  75. van Krieken, R. (2000), Beyond the “Parsonian Problem of Order”: Elias, Habitus and the Two Sociologies, in A. Treibel, H. Kuzmics, R. Blomert (eds), Zivilisationstheorie in der Bilanz. Figurationen. Schriften zur Zivilisations- und Prozesstheorie, vol. 1. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-11910-4_6 (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  76. van Krieken, R. (2014), Norbert Elias and Emotions in History, in D. Lemmings, A. Brooks (eds), Emotions and Social Change, New York: Routledge, 19–42.
  77. van Krieken, R. (2019), Law and Civilization: Norbert Elias as a Regulation Theorist, in «Annual Review of Law and Social Science», 15, 267–288.
  78. van Krieken, R. (2024), The Age of Anger and Social Media: Elias, Technology, Civilizing/Decivilizing Processes and Ressentiment, in «Theory, Culture & Society», 41, 7–8, 19–39.
  79. Waizbort, L. (2013), From Elias Back to Simmel, in W. F. Dépelteau, T. S. Landini (eds), Norbert Elias and Social Theory, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 179–188.
  80. Wark, M. (2013), The Spectacle of Disintegration: Situationist Passages out of the Twentieth Century, London: Verso Books.
  81. Weber, M. (1930), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, London and Boston: Unwin Hyman.
  82. Wetherell, M., McCreanor, T., McConville, A., Moewaka Barnes, H., le Grice, J. (2015), Settling Space and Covering the Nation: Some Conceptual Considerations In Analysing Affect and Discourse, «Emotion, Space and Society», 16, 56–64.
  83. Wójcik, P. (2025), PiS i TV Republika tłumaczą Trumpa na polski, in «Krytyka Polityczna». Available at: https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/pis-i-tv-republika-tlumacza-trumpa-na-polski (last accessed May 15, 2025).
  84. Yu, J., Chaudhry, S. J. (2024), “Thanks, but no Thanks”: Gratitude Expression Paradoxically Signals Distance, in «Journal of Personality and Social Psychology», 126, 1, 58–78.
  85. Żukowski, T. (2024), Żądanie wdzięczności to pętla na szyi obdarowanego, in «Krytyka Polityczna». Available at: https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/zukowski-zadanie-wdziecznosci-to-petla-na-szyi-obdarowanego (last accessed May 15, 2025).