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Taking Up Offenses: Secondhand Forgiveness and Group Identification

University of Oklahoma, rpbrown{at}ou.edu

Michael J. A. Wohl

Carleton University

Julie Juola Exline

Case Western Reserve University

When a person or group is mistreated, those not directly harmed by the transgression might still experience antipathy toward offenders, leading to secondhand forgiveness dynamics similar to those experienced by firsthand victims. Three studies examine the role of social identification in secondhand forgiveness. Study 1 shows that the effects of apologies on secondhand victims are moderated by level of identification with the wronged group. Study 2 shows that identification with the United States was associated with less forgiveness and greater blame and desire for retribution directed at the 9/11 terrorists, and these associations were primarily mediated by anger. Finally, Study 3 shows that participants whose assimilation needs were primed were less forgiving toward the perpetrators of an assault on ingroup members than participants whose differentiation needs were primed, an effect that was mediated by empathy for the victims.

Key Words: forgiveness • identification • empathy • intergroup conflict • apology

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 34, No. 10, 1406-1419 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167208321538


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