Interpersonal forgiving in close relationships
01 Aug 1997-Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (American Psychological Association)-Vol. 73, Iss: 2, pp 321-336
TL;DR: Evidence is found consistent with the hypotheses that the relationship between receiving an apology from and forgiving one's offender is a function of increased empathy for the offender and that forgiving is uniquely related to conciliatory behavior and avoidance behavior toward the offending partner.
Abstract: Forgiving is a motivational transformation that inclines people to inhibit relationship-destructive responses and to behave constructively toward someone who has behaved destructively toward them. The authors describe a model of forgiveness based on the hypothesis that people forgive others to the extent that they experience empathy for them. Two studies investigated the empathy model of forgiveness. In Study 1, the authors developed measures of empathy and forgiveness. The authors found evidence consistent with the hypotheses that (a) the relationship between receiving an apology from and forgiving one's offender is a function of increased empathy for the offender and (b) that forgiving is uniquely related to conciliatory behavior and avoidance behavior toward the offending partner. In Study 2, the authors conducted an intervention in which empathy was manipulated to examine the empathy-forgiving relationship more closely. Results generally supported the conceptualization of forgiving as a motivational phenomenon and the empathy-forgiving link.
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TL;DR: This article examined the relationship between narcissism, guilt, self-esteem, Agreeableness, and forgiveness of others, self, and situations, and found that narcissism and proneness to guilt can distinguish who forgives others and the self.
164 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated experiential avoidance and forgiveness, two general response styles to emotional distress that may impact reactions to trauma exposure, as potential mediators of the link between interpersonal trauma exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
Abstract: The present study investigates experiential avoidance and forgiveness, two general response styles to emotional distress that may impact reactions to trauma exposure, as potential mediators of the link between interpersonal trauma exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a cross–sectional survey of 229 undergraduate students reporting interpersonal trauma exposure. Utilizing structural equation modeling techniques, both constructs were found to significantly partially mediate the relation between interpersonal trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms; experiential avoidance reduced the relation between interpersonal trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms by 22% while forgiveness reduced this relation by 14%. Thus, individuals who were lower in forgiveness and higher in experiential avoidance reported higher PTSD symptoms than those higher in forgiveness and lower in experiential avoidance. Implications for treatment and prevention of PTSD symptoms are discussed.
162 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the antecedents and outcomes of interpersonal forgiveness are examined, including personality, relationship factors, offense-specific factors, and social-cognitive factors including empathy.
Abstract: This article examines the antecedents and outcomes of forgiveness The interpersonal forgiveness literature is qualitatively reviewed Antecedents to forgiveness are classified by their proximity to forgiveness based on M E McCullough and colleagues, (1998) framework From most distal to most proximal these antecedents are personality, relationship factors, offense-specific factors, and social-cognitive factors including empathy The association of these antecedents and several consequences of forgiveness are quantitatively examined in meta-analyses All investigated variables were significantly related to forgiveness Empathy was a stronger correlate of forgiveness than any other non-social-cognitive antecedent except for trait agreeableness Methodological factors and the average age of subjects moderated the relationship between forgiveness and some of its correlates Implications and future directions are considered
162 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that developmental processes that are relevant for adjustment reveal long-term social consequences beyond the adolescent years, and not only level but also change in adolescent empathy predicted individual differences in social competencies in adulthood two decades later.
Abstract: This 23-year study explored the predictive associations between empathy development in adolescence and self-reported social competencies and outcomes in adulthood. Participants were 1,527 adults aged 35 years (48.3% female). The predictor variable (adolescent empathy) was measured yearly at the ages of 12 to 16 years. The outcome variables (adult empathy, communication skills, social integration, relationship satisfaction, and conflicts in relationships) were measured at the age of 35 years. Five important results stand out. First, longitudinal measurement invariance was established for the measure of adolescent empathy. Second, empathy tended to increase during the adolescent years. Third, significant interindividual differences in level and change of adolescent empathy were found. Fourth, gender was related to level of adolescent empathy, favoring girls over boys. Fifth, not only level but also change in adolescent empathy predicted individual differences in social competencies in adulthood two decades later. These findings demonstrate that developmental processes that are relevant for adjustment reveal long-term social consequences beyond the adolescent years.
161 citations
Cites background from "Interpersonal forgiving in close re..."
...This interpretation would follow the idea that empathy is important for current relationship satisfaction (e.g., Cramer & Jowett, 2010), as it may promote adaptive processes following conflicts (McCullough et al., 1997; Paleari et al., 2005)....
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..., Cramer & Jowett, 2010), as it may promote adaptive processes following conflicts (McCullough et al., 1997; Paleari et al., 2005)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated how attributions and forgiveness influence the likelihood of relationship dissolution following infidelity and found that individuals who initiated breakup following a partner-s infidelity reported lower levels of forgiveness than those whose partners initiated the breakup.
Abstract: Although infidelity is a problem faced by many couples, some are able to recover from this trauma while others decide to terminate their relationship. This study investigates how attributions and forgiveness influence the likelihood of relationship dissolution following infidelity. Responses from 87 individuals who had experienced infidelity in a romantic, heterosexual relationship showed that forgiveness fully mediated the association between attributions and relationship termination. In addition, individuals who initiated breakup following a partner–s infidelity reported lower levels of forgiveness than those whose partners initiated the breakup. These findings are discussed in terms of interventions designed to help couples recovering from infidelity.
160 citations
Cites background from "Interpersonal forgiving in close re..."
...Whether a couple decides to break up or remain together, forgiveness can have significant emotional and physical health benefits (McCullough et al., 1997; Toussaint & Webb, 2005; Toussaint, Williams, Musick, & Everson, 2001; Witvliet, Ludwig, & Vander Laan, 2001)....
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References
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TL;DR: Two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) are developed and are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period.
Abstract: In recent studies of the structure of affect, positive and negative affect have consistently emerged as two dominant and relatively independent dimensions. A number of mood scales have been created to measure these factors; however, many existing measures are inadequate, showing low reliability or poor convergent or discriminant validity. To fill the need for reliable and valid Positive Affect and Negative Affect scales that are also brief and easy to administer, we developed two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The scales are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period. Normative data and factorial and external evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the scales are also presented.
34,482 citations
TL;DR: A new coefficient is proposed to summarize the relative reduction in the noncentrality parameters of two nested models and two estimators of the coefficient yield new normed (CFI) and nonnormed (FI) fit indexes.
Abstract: Normed and nonnormed fit indexes are frequently used as adjuncts to chi-square statistics for evaluating the fit of a structural model A drawback of existing indexes is that they estimate no known population parameters A new coefficient is proposed to summarize the relative reduction in the noncentrality parameters of two nested models Two estimators of the coefficient yield new normed (CFI) and nonnormed (FI) fit indexes CFI avoids the underestimation of fit often noted in small samples for Bentler and Bonett's (1980) normed fit index (NFI) FI is a linear function of Bentler and Bonett's non-normed fit index (NNFI) that avoids the extreme underestimation and overestimation often found in NNFI Asymptotically, CFI, FI, NFI, and a new index developed by Bollen are equivalent measures of comparative fit, whereas NNFI measures relative fit by comparing noncentrality per degree of freedom All of the indexes are generalized to permit use of Wald and Lagrange multiplier statistics An example illustrates the behavior of these indexes under conditions of correct specification and misspecification The new fit indexes perform very well at all sample sizes
21,588 citations
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01 Jan 1958TL;DR: The psychology of interpersonal relations as mentioned in this paper, The psychology in interpersonal relations, The Psychology of interpersonal relationships, کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)
Abstract: The psychology of interpersonal relations , The psychology of interpersonal relations , کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن آوری اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)
15,254 citations
Additional excerpts
...Social psychologists have also addressed interpersonal forgiving from time to time (Darby & Schlenker, 1982; Gahagan & Tedeschi, 1968; Heider, 1958; Horai, Lindskold, Gahagan, & Tedeschi, 1969; Weiner, Graham, Peter, & Zmuidinas, 1991)....
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TL;DR: A scale of current subjective distress, related to a specific event, was based on a list of items composed of commonly reported experiences of intrusion and avoidance, and responses indicated that the scale had a useful degree of significance and homogeneity.
Abstract: Clinical, field, and experimental studies of response to potentially stressful life events give concordant findings: there is a general human tendency to undergo episodes of intrusive thinking and periods of avoidance. A scale of current subjective distress, related to a specific event, was based on a list of items composed of commonly reported experiences of intrusion and avoidance. Responses of 66 persons admitted to an outpatient clinic for the treatment of stress response syndromes indicated that the scale had a useful degree of significance and homogeneity. Empirical clusters supported the concept of subscores for intrusions and avoidance responses.
7,692 citations
TL;DR: The Dyadic Adjustment Scale as discussed by the authors is a measure for assessing the quality of marriage and other similar dyads, which is designed for use with either married or unmarried cohabiting couples.
Abstract: This study reports on the development of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a new measure for assessing the quality of marriage and other similar dyads. The 32-item scale is designed for use with either married or unmarried cohabiting couples. Despite widespread criticisms of the concept of adjustment, the study proceeds from the pragmatic position that a new measure, which is theoretically grounded, relevant, valid, and highly reliable, is necessary since marital and dyadic adjustment continue to be researched. This factor analytic study tests a conceptual definition set forth in eariler work and suggests the existence of four empirically verified components of dyadic adjustment which can be used as subscales [dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, dyadic consensus and affectional expression]. Evidence is presented suggesting content, criterion-related, and construct validity. High scale reliability is reported. The possibility of item weighting is considered and endorsed as a potential measurement technique, but it not adopted for the present Dyadic Adjustment Scale. It is concluded that the Dyadic Adjustment Scale represents a significant improvement over other measures of marital adjustment, but a number of troublesome methodological issues remain for future research.
6,899 citations