Apology and Restitution: Offender Accountability Responses Influence Victim Empathy and Forgiveness:
Two experiments (N = 487) tested the effects of receiving an apology (absent, present) and restitution (absent, present) in imagery of a one-sided transgression and common property crime, a burglary scenario. Within a framework of accountability, apology and restitution represent relationally respon...
Authors: | ; ; ; ; ; ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage Publishing
[2020]
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In: |
Journal of psychology and theology
Year: 2020, Volume: 48, Issue: 2, Pages: 88-104 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Excuse
/ Compensation
/ Sacrifice (Social psychology)
/ Forgiveness
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RelBib Classification: | NCA Ethics ZD Psychology |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Two experiments (N = 487) tested the effects of receiving an apology (absent, present) and restitution (absent, present) in imagery of a one-sided transgression and common property crime, a burglary scenario. Within a framework of accountability, apology and restitution represent relationally responsive responsibility-taking and repair efforts by a perpetrator. Experiments 1 and 2 found that a thorough apology and restitution each decreased unforgiveness while eliciting increased empathy and forgiveness from student and community samples, respectively. Experiment 2 found that a custody condition consistent with a perpetrator’s willing accountability for wrongdoing (i.e., spontaneous confession with surrender) decreased unforgiveness while increasing empathy and forgiveness in comparison to a custody condition in which the offender was being held accountable externally (involuntary apprehension) or a no-custody control condition. This experimental evidence points to offender accountability efforts through apology, restitution, and surrender as important for decreasing victims’ unforgiving motivations and promoting their empathy and forgiveness. |
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ISSN: | 2328-1162 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of psychology and theology
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0091647120915181 |