The Role of Victim Embarrassment in Explaining Why Apologies Affect Reported (But Not Actual) Forgiveness. (October 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Struthers, C. Ward; Santelli, Alexander G.; Khoury, Careen; Pang, Melissa; Young, Rebecca E.; Kashefi, Yasaman; Marjanovic, Zdravko; Phills, Curtis; Nash, Kyle; Vasquez, Noelia A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of language and social psychology. Volume 33:Number 5(2014)
• Page Start: 517
• Page End: 525
• Publication Date: 2014-10
• Subjects: apology -- embarrassment -- forgiveness; Sociolinguistics -- Periodicals; Psycholinguistics -- Periodicals; 401.905
• DOI: 10.1177/0261927X14520983
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-927X

Abstract

This research examines the mediating role of victims' embarrassment in explaining why apologies from transgressors sometimes affect victims' reported forgiveness, but not actual forgiveness toward transgressors. Victims sometimes insincerely communicate forgiveness following a transgressor's apology because they feel put on the spot and embarrassed and try to escape the awkwardness of such situations. The results of an online experiment supported our hypothesis by showing that victim embarrassment mediated the relation between a transgressor's apology and victims' reported forgiveness but not between a transgressor's apology and victims' experienced forgiveness.