Transcript Forgiveness in the Population (Poloma & Gallup, 1991)
Forgiveness, Who Does It, and How They Do It
Michael E. McCullough University of Miami Coral 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 Try to Overlook It Hold Onto Resentment Try to Get Even 48% 45% 14% 8%
Revenge and Forgiveness in Published Articles, 1900-1990
900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 803 171 Number of Publications Revenge, Retal., Retrib.
Forgiveness
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 30 (Running Median Smoothing) 20 10 0 1970 YEAR 1980 1990 2000 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 transgression Typically 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
0.5
0.3
0.1
-0.1
0.24
-0.3
-0.41
-0.5
Avoidance 0.48
0.07
Open Cons Extr Agre Neur -0.32
-0.5
Revenge
How Do They Do It? Empathy is Key
Interventions Apology Closeness + + Empathy + Rumination + Forgiveness
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
A Generalized Model: Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Time
Revenge Score 4.5
4 3.5
3 2.5
2 Day 0 Time Day 35
Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Time Given a set of TRIMs y ij : y ij = β 0j + β 1j (Time) + r ij Intercept (β 0j ) : Initial post-transgression levels of revenge, avoidance, benevolence =
Forbearance
. Slope (β 1j (Time)): linear change in revenge, avoidance, benevolence =
Trend Forgiveness
.
Post-Transgression Predictors of Forbearance and (Trend) Forgiveness Parameter Avoid-Forbear Avoid-Forgive -.05
Revenge-Forbear .07
Revenge-Forgive -.01
Benev-Forbear Benev-Forgive Severity .35* -.20
.01
Empathy -.48* -.07
-.31* .05
.44* .24* Repons. Att .33* -.20
.14
.16
.15
.21*
Temporary Forgiveness?
Revenge Score 5 4.5
4 3.5
3 2.5
2 r ij Day 0 Time Day 35
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
Forgiveness Measure
Male Avoidance-Recent Hurt Male Revenge-Recent Hurt Male Avoidance-Worst Hurt Male Revenge-Worst Hurt Female Avoidance-Recent Hurt Female Revenge-Recent Hurt Female Avoidance-Worst Hurt Female Revenge-Worst Hurt
Dyadic Satisf.-Commit. Male Female
-.35*** -.11 -.32** -.31* -.40*** -.38*** -.44*** -.21* -.46*** -.29** -.03 -.37*** -.48*** -.47*** -.13 -.34**
Mathematical Model of Relational Closeness and Reconciliation Given a set of measures of closeness/commitment y ij y ij = β 0j + β 1j (Time) + r ij Intercept (β 0j ) : Initial levels of closeness and commitment Slope (β 1j (Time)): change in closeness and commitment over time =
Reconciliation
.
Pre Transgression Closeness .28 .65 -.24 .36 Initial Closeness -.74 Change in Closeness (Reconciliation) Transgression Severity -.32 .54 .30 Initial Benevolence .25 -.26 .52 .22 Changes in Benevolence (Forgiveness) Figure 4: Benevolence--Final Model
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
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0 Clinically Non Relevant Clinically Relevant
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-Report Retributive/avoidant/benevolent behavior in the laboratory Reductions 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 challenges Cardiovascular reactivity Neuroendocrine 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