Moral barrier to compassion: How perceived badness of sufferers dampens observers' compassionate responses

Yu, Hongbo; Chen, Jie; Dardaine, Bernadette; Yang, Fan

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105476

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 107 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…People also withhold compassion toward a person experiencing misfortune when they have immoral character traits (Yu et al, 2023). Victims might similarly withhold forgiveness when they perceive transgressors as having immoral character.…”

Section: Offense Perceptions and Forgivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

How and Why the Omission Bias Affects Victims’ Responses to Interpersonal Transgressions

Ludwig,

Schumann

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined how and why commission and omission transgressions differentially affect victims’ forgiveness, and whether apologies are differentially effective at eliciting forgiveness for these transgressions. In Study 1 (N = 376), using online vignettes, victims perceived commission (vs. omission) transgressions as higher in responsibility and intent, and these offense perceptions in turn predicted reduced forgiveness, both on their own and serially through perceptions of immoral behavior and immoral character. However, apologizing (vs. not apologizing) predicted greater forgiveness for both types of offenses. In Study 2 (N = 593), using recalled offenses, forgiveness was lower for commission (vs. omission) transgressions. Study 2 also replicated the mediating roles of offense perceptions and moral judgments, as well as the benefits of apologies for forgiveness across both types of offenses. These studies demonstrate how and why forgiveness might be less forthcoming for commissions, but suggest that apologies are effective for both commissions and omissions.

show abstract

Section: Offense Perceptions and Forgivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%