Taking Up Offenses: Secondhand Forgiveness and Group Identification

Ryan P. Brown,Michael J. A. Wohl,Julie Juola Exline

doi:10.1177/0146167208321538

Abstract

When a person or group is mistreated, those not directly harmed by the transgression might still experience antipathy toward offenders, leading to secondhand forgiveness dynamics similar to those experienced by firsthand victims. Three studies examine the role of social identification in secondhand forgiveness. Study 1 shows that the effects of apologies on secondhand victims are moderated by level of identification with the wronged group. Study 2 shows that identification with the United States was associated with less forgiveness and greater blame and desire for retribution directed at the 9/11 terrorists, and these associations were primarily mediated by anger. Finally, Study 3 shows that participants whose assimilation needs were primed were less forgiving toward the perpetrators of an assault on ingroup members than participants whose differentiation needs were primed, an effect that was mediated by empathy for the victims.

Highlights

When a person or group is mistreated, those not directly harmed by the transgression might still experience antipathy toward offenders, leading to secondhand forgiveness dynamics similar to those experienced by firsthand victims
Participants who were highly identified with the victimized group were less forgiving, Study 2 extended the results of Study 1 by examining reactions to another real-world offense—the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001—as a function of respondents’ levels of identification with the United States
To evaluate whether identification was associated with aspects of secondhand forgiveness independent of direct, personal losses associated with the attack, we measured the extent to which participants were related to or otherwise connected with firsthand victims of the attack

Summary

Introduction

When a person or group is mistreated, those not directly harmed by the transgression might still experience antipathy toward offenders, leading to secondhand forgiveness dynamics similar to those experienced by firsthand victims. Study 1 shows that the effects of apologies on secondhand victims are moderated by level of identification with the wronged group. Responses to transgressions contain cognitive (Fincham, 2000; Flanigan, 1992), affective (Brown & Philips, 2005; Malcolm & Greenberg, 2000), and motivational (Gordon, Baucom, & Snyder, 2000; McCullough et al, 1998) features. Bosses criticize, lovers flirt with others, and strangers take advantage When such things happen, victims frequently experience antipathy toward those deemed responsible. Victims frequently experience antipathy toward those deemed responsible They get mad, they get sad, and sometimes they get even. Apologies can be powerful facilitators of forgiveness, but not when they are seen as insincere (Zechmeister, Garcia, Romero, & Vas, 2004), a perception that is more likely when relationships were not close before the transgression (Brown, Phillips, & Barnes, 2005)

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Results

Conclusion