Self-Efficacy as a Moderator between Empathy and Forgiveness Relationship

Abstract

ForgivenessRobert Enright (1998) defined forgiveness as a willingness to abandon one's right to resentment, negative judgement, and indifferent behaviour toward one who unjustly hurt us , while fostering the undeserved qualities of compassion , generosity, and even love toward him or her. Forgiveness is central to healthy human development and may be one of the most important processes in the restoration of interpersonal relationships after conflict (Hill, 2001). The common imperfection in the ability of human beings to relate to one another gives rise to frequent offenses and consequent negative affective, behavioural, and cognitive responses leading to impaired social functioning. Forgiveness involves the reduction of negative responses to offense (Gassin & Enright, 1995; Hargrave, 1994). It does not involve seeking retribution or restitution (Rosenak & Hamden, 1992; Wahking, 1992) and does not require further vulnerability, rather it allows accountability (Coleman, 1998; Enright, Freedman, & Rique, 1998).Researchers have focused much attention on the characterstics associated with forgiveness and on describing its processes. Enright et al. (1998) developed a twenty step Process Model of Forgiveness and divided them into four broad phases: uncovering , decision , work including empathy, and deepening. They carefully pointed out that the overall process of forgiveness is not likely to be linear as individuals are often instigated by flashbacks to the original trauma (Toussaint & Webb, 2005 ).McCullough (2000) over viewed the current studies on forgiveness including the studies on determinants of the ability to forgive i.e.,empathy and perspective taking. He stated that our understanding of the construct of forgiveness in the process of healing is limited and needs further investigation. The empirical data regarding forgiveness -although growing- is insufficient ,and there is a gap between the encouragement of forgiveness by clinicians and sufficient scientific knowledge of its underlying mechanisms (Fincham, Paleari, & Regalia, 2002). More work is needed to determine who will benefit from forgiveness and what factors will lead to its constructive use (Skinner, 1998).EmpathyEmpathy has been defined as accurately perceiving the internal frame of reference of another ( Gold & Rogers, 1995 ) and includes non-verbal communication (Katz, 1963). Moore (1990) asserted that empathy is an organizer and regulator of a variety of behaviours, and Zahn-Waxier and Radke-Yarrow (1990) said empathy is central to what it means to be fully human. As such, it is critical to moral development and justice , thereby acting as a catalyst for societal cohesion and unity (Hoffman, 1990) because constructive interpersonal relations are contingent upon a willingness to take another's perspective (Johnson, Cheek, & Smither, 1983).The broad definition of empathy includes affective and cognitive components (Zahn-Waxier & Radke Yarrow, 1990). Emotional empathy is commonly thought of as an emotional reaction (e.g., compassion) to another's emotional response (e.g., sadness). This reaction is not dependent on a cognitive understanding of why a person is suffering (Rankin, Kramer, & Miller, 2005), although it may facilitate understanding and action. By contrast, cognitive empathy involves an intellectual and imaginative apprehension of another's emotional state, often described as overlapping with the construct theory of mind (understanding the thoughts and feelings of others) and used interchangeably by some authors (Lawrence ,Shaw, Baker, Baron-Cohen, David, 2004). Philosophers and psychologists (Batson, 1987; Blum, 1980; Eisenberg, 1986; Hoffman, 1982) frequently have argued that empathy and related vicarious emotional reactions (e.g., sympathy) play a role in the performance of prosocial behaviours (voluntary behaviours intended to benefit another).Self-efficacyBandura (1997) defined self-efficacy as people's belief in their capabilities to produce desired effects by their own actions . …