The effect of apology on emotional and decisional forgiveness: The role of personality

Abstract

Links between contextual variables and forgiveness have been widely acknowledged in the literature. From the layperson's perspective, receipt of an apology is one of the most important reasons to forgive the offender, while lack of apology is a major reason not to forgive (Younger et al., 2004). The effect of apology or remedial behaviors on forgiveness has been confirmed by many studies. However, more in-depth analyses of the associations have been undertaken very rarely. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between apology and forgiveness moderated by the personality variables, such as the Big Five dimensions and trait anger. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in Polish samples consisting, respectively, of 259 and 236 individuals aged 15–79. Polish versions of the Decision to Forgive Scale, the Emotional Forgiveness Scale, the Abridged Big Five Dimensional Circumplex, and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 were used. Perceived apology was rated using a five-point scale. The results showed that apology was positively related to both emotional and decisional forgiveness. Agreeableness, as the only personality dimension, moderated the link between apology and decisional forgiveness. Participants with average and higher levels of agreeableness showed a greater decision to forgive their offenders.