Forgiveness for transgressions in interpersonal relationships

Abstract

Through forgiveness, people reduce negative responses toward their transgressors, and are more motivated to show positive behaviors instead. Two studies were performed with the aim to approach the phenomenon of forgiveness. The first study, in which 101 university students participated, aimed to examine the differenttypes of transgressions depending on the type of relationship (friendship vs. couple) and gender. In thesecond study (n = 201 participants from general population), we studied the influence of gender, emotional, and motivational variables on forgiveness after infidelity betrayal. Results of the first study showed that infidelity is perceived as the most serious transgression. In the second study, results showed that inunfaithful transgression, women perceived the consequences as more serious, felt more negative emotionsand showed greater empathy and dependency than men. Also, empathy in men as well as dependency in women were found to predict revenge, and resulted in less forgiveness. Finally, results showed that in both men and women, the negative affect mediated the relationship between severity of transgression andmotivation to retaliate as a result of infidelity.