What are some sociological impacts on a person if they are given something as a gift?

Question

Like charity .. as if you donate money to something that will help homeless people, or a child's Christmas. How would that person feel in terms of the impact your money made on them? (make your answer sound "sociological" if you can) Thanks so much!

Answer 1

It varies greatly from person to person.
From hereon in I shall refer to people in need as 'homeless', since that was the term you used.

For the most part though, these people don't really consider the sources of the donations as much as the distributing charity. For example, if I make a donation to a charity, and the charity uses that money to buy food for a homeless person, it is much more likely that the homeless person will direct their feelings toward the charity, rather than the people who make donations to the charity.

The primary factor that determines response is why the person is homeless or in need.

If an individual is homeless through choice (yes, these people do exist), then their response can range from a sense of entitlement ("I deserve handouts, because I am poor, and they are rich, and I need it more than they do.") to no significant emotional reaction at all, they can simply take these things for granted, much like a working person takes their paycheck for granted.

If an individual is homeless through misfortune, such as an injury or mental illness, there is the additional possibility that they will feel gratitude, although this is likely to be directed to the charity, without taking the donations from the public into account.

Finally, if an individual is temporarily homeless, or distressed in another fashion that warrants them turning to a charity for assistance, they are much more likely to have a sense of gratitude to the charity for the assistance. They are also more likely to later on support such charities.

Answer 2

Hello wakeflawc,

It's difficult to answer a question such as yours. One can not begin or even possibly guess or know how another person would feel or be impacted by anything. To assume their feelings would only empower most people's thoughts of the recipient being non-existent. Don't you think?

Zettie

Answer 3

If I was homeless and sitting in the park all day long and someone came up and gave me a new sleeping bag, I would be very grateful and thank God that there were kind, giving, unselfish, loving human beings in the world, who actually do the work God intended them to do. It would probably bring me closer to God, myself