No abstract

Although previous research shows that relationship closeness plays a central role in an individualÕs willingness to forgive an offender, it is based exclusively on data from Western, individualistic cultures. In the current study, we examined the association between relationship closeness and forgiveness across six countries, including both traditionally individualistic Ð Italy, the Netherlands, the US Ð and collectivistic cultures Ð Japan, China (and one country, Turkey, with both individualistic and collectivistic features). Results demonstrated that, cross-culturally, there was a robust positive association between closeness toward the offender and level of forgiveness, both for trait-forgiveness and offense-specific forgiveness.However, this association was weaker in the collectivistic countries, which may suggest that strong norms in these countries to maintain social harmony may partly weaken the role of closeness in forgiveness. Overall, the present findings are discussed in terms of the possible evolutionary origins of forgiveness, and the role of individualism/ collectivism in forgiveness.

Theories of culture, cognition, and social relations suggest there may be differences in conceptions of forgiveness between the members of East Asian and Western cultures, but few researchers have examined this issue. This article builds on previous research on prototypes of forgiveness in the United States to address the question "What is forgiveness?" in Japan. In Studies 1a and 1b, we investigated Japanese conceptions of forgiveness. Study 2 demonstrated that forgiveness features that U.S. and Japanese participants generated are meaningfully different. Compared with Americans, Japanese participants focused more on aspects related to relationship harmony; they seemed to emphasize an adjustment motive and decisional forgiveness. They also put less emphasis on emotional forgiveness and attention to individuals in comparison with Americans. Our results suggest that the high value placed on relationship maintenance in Japan leads to different understandings of forgiveness. Inclusion of culturally diverse conceptions into the definition of forgiveness aids further understanding of forgiveness, which, in turn, enhances the development and application of existing theories.

Previous research has demonstrated that individuals with highly relational selfconstruals define the self in terms of close relationships and tend to behave in ways that enhance the development and maintenance of important relationships (Cross, Morris, & Gore, 2002). Other research suggests that having power in a situation allows one to pursue important goals, which we hypothesize may also include relationship goals. We examined how relational self-construal and power interacted with self-disclosure and forgiveness to predict commitment in new college roommate relationships over the course of a semester. Analyses revealed that self-disclosure and forgiveness were strong predictors of commitment and change in commitment. Furthermore, relational self-construal and power moderated the association of selfdisclosure and forgiveness with commitment.

At the present time, little is known about the factors involved in self-forgiveness. In order to advance theoretical and empirical knowledge in this area, several correlates of self-forgiveness for interpersonal and intrapersonal transgressions were examined. Across two studies, participants wrote about a previous interpersonal or intrapersonal transgression (Study 1, N = 198) or imagined themselves in a particular interpersonal or intrapersonal transgression situation (Study 2; N = 240) and then responded to items related to the transgression. Analyses revealed that emotions focused on the event (i.e., shame, guilt, and rumination) were critical factors in the self-forgiveness process. In addition, other categories of variables (perceived forgiveness/conciliatory behaviors, offense-related, personality/individual difference, and relationship) were linked to self-forgiveness. The implications for future self-forgiveness research are discussed.