This article analyzes the association between knowledge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), evaluation of TRC's achievements, experience of victimization, attitudes toward remembering and forgetting past political violence, perceptions of socioemotional climate (SEC), belief in forgiveness and attitudes toward violence in Peru based on a study conducted in three Peruvian cities with different rates of victimization due to political violence during 1980–2000 (n = 1200). Results showed that a positive attitude toward remembering the past of political violence was predominant and related to a positive evaluation of TRC's achievements. Attitude toward remembering also has an ambivalent collective effect increasing both positive and negative SECs, and it is less accepted by victims of political violence. On the other hand, attitude toward forgetting is less accepted by participants, and it also has an ambivalent effect by increasing positive and negative SECs. Attitude toward forgetting has more societal costs, since it is related to attitudes toward violence and decreased knowledge and a positive evaluation of TRC. In general, findings suggest that remembering traumatic events has an emotional cost, but also it is shown that remembering seems to be more beneficial for society in the long‐term than forgetting.

This article analyses the assessments of Truth Commissions (TCs) and their association with positive socio-emotional climate and trust in institutions in six South American countries The sample consisted of 4,442 participants (53.3% women), 13 to 90-years-old (M = 37.4, SD = 15.7). Participants answered a questionnaire comprised of scales that evaluated their knowledge, evaluation, emotions and social sharing about the TC, as well as the socio-emotional climate and the trust in institutions. Comprehensive Meta-analysis procedure and multiple linear regression were carried out. Positive evaluation of the TCs was related to trust in institutions (r̅ = .23, random model) and a positive socio-emotional climate (r̅ = .31, random model). Political positioning and age showed limited effects. Finally, the associations of positive TC evaluation with social climate and trust in institutions were found to be positively moderated by contextual factors. RESUMENEste artículo analiza las evaluaciones de las Comisiones de la verdad (CV) en seis países sudamericanos y su relación con el clima socioemocional positivo y la confianza en las instituciones. La muestra estaba compuesta por 4,442 participantes (53.3% mujeres), de entre 13 y 90 años (M = 37.4, DT = 15.7). Los participantes completaron un cuestionario formado por escalas que medían sus conocimientos, la evaluación, sus emociones y el compartir social de las CV, así como el clima socioemocional y la confianza en las instituciones. Se llevó a cabo un procedimiento en el programa Comprehensive Meta-analysis ARTICLE HISTORY

This study investigates; (1) how Political Cynicism is structured and, (2) how this structure relates to Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) in 11 Ibero-American countries (N=2388). The results show that the structure of Political Cynicism is composed of four dimensions: (1) Mistrust, (2) Perception of Corruption, (3) Need for Change and, (4) Political Moral Laxity. Furthermore, the study reveals that there is no homogeneous model of relations between the dimensions of Political Cynicism with RWA and SDO by country. However, at a general level it is noted that Mistrust acts as a diffuse indicator of dissatisfaction with the political system that increases Political Moral Laxity, while the Perception of Corruption, functions as a specific indicator of dissatisfaction that is directly associated with the Need for Change and, inversely, to Moral Laxity. Both RWA and SDO increase the negative manifestations of Political Cynicism, but the most interesting result is the stability of the observed relationship between SDO and Moral Laxity in 10 of the 11 countries considered in the study. The results are discussed in terms of the costs that Political Cynicism represents for the consolidation of Democracy, especially in its manifestation of moral laxity.

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