Threatened State Self-Esteem Reduces Forgiveness

Abstract

Drawing from theorizing about motivated self-protection, we report the results of four studies testing the idea that threatened state self-esteem reduces forgiving. In Study 1, primed self-esteem threat (versus a control condition) led to decreased forgiving intentions in hypothetical scenarios. In Study 2, primed self-esteem threat (versus two control conditions) negatively affected forgiveness motivations in relation to recalled personally experienced transgressions. Study 3 utilized a correlational recall design, demonstrating that threatened self-esteem directly associated with a personally recalled transgression is negatively related to forgiving motivations. Study 4 returned to a priming paradigm, providing evidence that the deleterious effect of self-esteem threat on forgiveness may be combated by enhancing state-level self-esteem. Theoretical and practical implications and ideas for future research are addressed.