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Forgiveness, Who Does It, and How They Do It
Michael E. McCulloughUniversity of MiamiCoral Gables, Florida
Forgiveness in the Population (Poloma & Gallup, 1991)
“Which do you usually do when you feel that someone has deliberately done something wrong to you?”
Try to Forgive 48%
Try to Overlook It 45%
Hold Onto Resentment 14%
Try to Get Even 8%
Revenge and Forgiveness in Published Articles, 1900-1990
803
171
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Revenge, Retal.,Retrib.
Forgiveness
Number ofPublications
The “Flight From Tenderness:”“Somehow it feels more tough-
minded to study discord. The scientist fears that if he looks at affiliative sentiments he may seem sentimental; if he talks about love he may seem emotional; and if he studies personal attachments he may seem personal. Better leave the whole matter to poets, to saints, or to theologians.”
Gordon W. Allport (1950), A Psychological Approach to the Study of Love and Hate
Number of Forgiveness-Related
Articles Per Year, 1980-1999
(Running Median Smoothing)
YEAR
2000199019801970
30
20
10
0
Observed
Linear
Forgiveness
Pardon (A Legal Term) Condonation (Justifying an offense) Excusing (Extenuating circumstances) Forgetting (Decay of memory) Denial (Motivated Lack of Awareness) Reconciliation (Restored Relationship) Surrendering Justice Concerns
Forgiveness Is: A intrapsychic event
occurring in the context of an interpersonal transgression
These transgressions typically elicit negative changes in interpersonal motivations (avoidance, revenge, benevolence)
Forgiveness Is: A intrapsychic event occurring in the context
of an interpersonal transgressionTypically elicit negative changes in interpersonal
motivations (avoidance, revenge, benevolence) Forgiveness Is Motivational Change
Increased benevolence, reduced revenge and avoidance
Precedes (and can stimulate) prosocial changes in behavior toward the transgressor
Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations (TRIM) Inventory
Avoidance
“I keep as much distance between us as possible.”
“I avoid him/her.”
Benevolence
“I want us to bury the hatchet.”
“I want us to have a positive relationship again.”
Revenge
“I’ll make him/her pay.”
“I want to see him/her hurt and miserable.”
Who Does It?
Agreeableness
Proneness to Negative Emotions
Religion/Spirituality
TRIMs and the Big Five
-0.41
0.24
0.48
-0.32
-0.5
0.07
-0.5
-0.3
-0.1
0.1
0.3
0.5
Reg
ressio
n
Co
eff
icie
nt
(beta
)
Avoidance Revenge
Open
Cons
Extr
Agre
Neur
Empathy ForgivenessApology
Interventions
Closeness
How Do They Do It? Empathy is Key
Rumination
-
+
+
+
+
Forgiveness: Implicit Temporal Dynamics
“A motivational transformation. . . “McCullough, Worthington, & Rachal, 1997
“ Cancellation of a debt“Exline & Baumeister, 2000
...overcoming resentment...and [trying] to have a new stance of benevolence, compassion, and even love.Subkoviak, Enright, et al., 1995
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Day 0 Day 35Time
RevengeScore
A Generalized Model: Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Time
Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Time
Intercept (β0j) : Initial post-transgression levels ofrevenge, avoidance, benevolence = Forbearance.
Given a set of TRIMs yij:
Slope (β1j(Time)): linear change in revenge, avoidance, benevolence = Trend Forgiveness.
yij = β0j + β1j(Time) + rij
Post-Transgression Predictors of Forbearance and (Trend) Forgiveness
Parameter Severity Empathy Repons. Att
Avoid-Forbear .35* -.48* .33*
Avoid-Forgive -.05 -.07 -.20
Revenge-Forbear .07 -.31* .14
Revenge-Forgive -.01 .05 .16
Benev-Forbear -.20 .44* .15
Benev-Forgive .01 .24* .21*
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Day 0 Day 35
rij
RevengeScore
Time
Temporary Forgiveness?
Within-Subject Correlates of Temporary Forgiveness
TRIM Measure Corr w/Empathy
Corr w/Respons. Attrib
Avoidance -.43* .14
Revenge -.18 .09
Benevolence .40* -.09
Forgiveness and Dyadic Satisfaction/ Commitment, McCullough et al., 1998
Dyadic Satisf.-Commit. Forgiveness Measure Male Female
Male Avoidance-Recent Hurt -.35*** -.11
Male Revenge-Recent Hurt -.32** -.29**
Male Avoidance-Worst Hurt -.31* -.03
Male Revenge-Worst Hurt -.40*** -.37***
Female Avoidance-Recent Hurt -.38*** -.48***
Female Revenge-Recent Hurt -.44*** -.47***
Female Avoidance-Worst Hurt -.21* -.13
Female Revenge-Worst Hurt -.46*** -.34**
Mathematical Model of Relational Closeness and Reconciliation
Intercept (β0j) : Initial levels of closeness and commitment
Slope (β1j(Time)): change in closeness and commitment over time = Reconciliation.
yij = β0j + β1j(Time) + rij
Given a set of measures of closeness/commitment yij
Pre-Transgression Closeness
Change in Closeness (Reconciliation)
Transgression Severity
Initial Closeness
Initial Benevolence
Changes in Benevolence (Forgiveness)
Figure 4: Benevolence--Final Model
.52 .30
-.74
.25
.36
-.26
.22
-.24
.65
-.32
.54
.28
Promoting Forgiveness via Group Interventions
Non-Clinical (< 6 hrs.) vs. Control Group: d = .24.
Clinical (>6 hrs.) vs. Control: d = .76.
Importance of empathy promotion
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
ClinicallyNon-Relevant
ClinicallyRelevant
The Future
The Well-Being Assumption
The Self-Report Assumption
The Physical Health Assumption
The Well-Being Assumption Does Forgiveness Lead to Mental Health
and Well-Being? Cross sectional vs. longitudinal data Associative longitudinal growth modeling Do forgiveness trajectories predict the
unfolding of mental health and well-being following transgressions?
The Self-Report Assumption
Is Self-Report the Best Way to Measure Forgiveness? Do self-reports converge with other measures?
Alternatives to Self-ReportRetributive/avoidant/benevolent behavior in
the laboratoryReductions in facial expressions of negative
and positive (affiliative) emotion
Physical Health Assumption Does Forgiveness Lead to Physical
Health? Forgiveness and Physiology Forgiveness and Health in Real-Time Physiological reactivity to transgression-
related laboratory challengesCardiovascular reactivityNeuroendocrine Immunologic
The Future:
“When we imagine a perfect state of being we invariably imagine the unconditional triumph of love.”
Gordon W. Allport (1950), A Psychological Approach to the Study of Love and Hate
Thank You!