Determinants of Forgiveness in Families

Abstract

This quantitative research investigated the determinants of forgiveness of a family transgressor by the offended. Data from 431 college students were analyzed to investigate the nature and frequency of the offenses, specific relationship of the offended with the transgressor, severity of the hurt, role of relationship variables, positive dispositional tendencies, and hurt intensity in the forgiveness of the family member. The analyses indicated that some of the most occurring offenses were being ignored, not fulfilling promises, being compared with others, and unequal distribution of household tasks. Participants indicated being compared with others as the most serious offense, followed by contempt, not fulfilling promises, and being ignored. Due to these offenses, about 59% of the participants experienced moderate to above the average severity of hurt. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses suggested that the positive dispositional tendencies of optimism and resilience explained 14% of incremental variance in forgiveness. In the third step of the regression, relationship variables of trust, communication, and alienation together explained an additional 28% of the variance, above and beyond gender and dispositional tendencies. In the final step, hurt severity was a significant predictor, explaining an additional 5% of variance in forgiveness. These significant results suggest that after controlling for both demographic variables and dispositional traits, the close relationship variables along with the severity of the hurt experienced by the victim in the context of family relationships play a significant role in the forgiveness of the family offender.