Forgive Like You Mean It: Sincerity of Forgiveness and the Experience of Negative Affect

摘要

When individuals experience forgiveness, it can free them from negative emotion. Whatrnhappens, though, when individuals’ internal experience and their external expression ofrnforgiveness do not correspond? Individuals, for instance, can communicate forgiveness torna partner, even if that forgiveness is not genuine. Although this might create a veneer ofrnforgiveness in relationships, underlying negativity could persist. To examine this issue,rnthis study tested the moderating effects of sincerity on the relationship between victims’rnforgiveness communication and their experience of ongoing negative emotion. Resultsrnshowed that direct forgiveness negatively, and conditional forgiveness positively, predictedrnnegative affect, but those relationships were contingent on victims’ sincerity level.rnSincerity, moreover, was positively predicted by victims’ self-esteem and perceptions ofrnoffender accounts.