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The varying meaning of forgiveness: Relationship closeness moderates how forgiveness affects feelings of justice
Author(s) -
Wenzel Michael,
Okimoto Tyler G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.1850
Subject(s) - forgiveness , closeness , psychology , feeling , social psychology , economic justice , meaning (existential) , recall , perception , psychotherapist , cognitive psychology , mathematical analysis , mathematics , neoclassical economics , neuroscience , economics
Psychological research has repeatedly shown that victims are more likely to forgive socially close than distant others, but little research has addressed the question whether forgiveness in these two cases actually has the same psychological meaning. As one approach to this issue, the present research investigates how acts of forgiveness aid the restoration of victims' justice feelings through different processes, depending on the closeness of their relationship to the offender. In two studies (Study 1 using a scenario method, Study 2 an autobiographical recall), the victim's perceptions of value consensus with the offender mediated justice‐restoring effects of forgiveness expressed towards a close offender, whereas feelings of status/power mediated justice‐restoring effects of forgiveness expressed towards a distant offender. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.