TY - JOUR
T1 - Don't apologize unless you mean it
T2 - A laboratory investigation of forgiveness and retaliation
AU - Zechmeister, Jeanne S.
AU - Garcia, Sofia
AU - Romero, Catherine
AU - Vas, Shona N.
PY - 2004/8
Y1 - 2004/8
N2 - We experimentally investigated the effects of arousal, offense removal ("making amends"), and apology following a scripted laboratory offense involving unde-served failure feedback. Self-report and behavioral measures of forgiveness and retaliation were influenced differentially by the manipulations. Retaliation was influenced only by the presence of an apology. Consistent with some previous findings, experimenters who committed the offense and apologized were evaluated more negatively than when they did not apologize. The relationship between apology and retaliation was mediated by participants' blame directed at the experimenter. Forgiveness was more complex, and varied depending on arousal, offense removal, and apology. In the high arousal condition, forgiveness was least likely following an "insincere apology" in which the offender did not make amends for the wrong when apologizing. These results are interpreted in terms of a two-stage model of forgiveness in which different variables influence revenge and forgiveness.
AB - We experimentally investigated the effects of arousal, offense removal ("making amends"), and apology following a scripted laboratory offense involving unde-served failure feedback. Self-report and behavioral measures of forgiveness and retaliation were influenced differentially by the manipulations. Retaliation was influenced only by the presence of an apology. Consistent with some previous findings, experimenters who committed the offense and apologized were evaluated more negatively than when they did not apologize. The relationship between apology and retaliation was mediated by participants' blame directed at the experimenter. Forgiveness was more complex, and varied depending on arousal, offense removal, and apology. In the high arousal condition, forgiveness was least likely following an "insincere apology" in which the offender did not make amends for the wrong when apologizing. These results are interpreted in terms of a two-stage model of forgiveness in which different variables influence revenge and forgiveness.
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U2 - 10.1521/jscp.23.4.532.40309
DO - 10.1521/jscp.23.4.532.40309
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:4444368181
SN - 0736-7236
VL - 23
SP - 532
EP - 564
JO - Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
JF - Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
IS - 4
ER -