The psychology of forgiveness and its importance in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative review is to stimulate empirical research on forgiveness within South Africa (and other portions of Africa). The article explores a Western understanding of the psychology of forgiveness, including its definition as distinct from reconciliation, its sequelae, and its predictors. Findings are examined with particular emphasis on differences between research in more Westernised societies (i.e., United States and Western Europe), where most of the forgiveness research has historically occurred, and research in South Africa. A culturally sensitive approach to the study of forgiveness and reconciliation in South Africa was utilised, and the extant research on forgiveness in South Africa was briefly reviewed. The article informs emergent forgiveness researchers about ways to effectively launch Africa-centric studies and outlines future directions in the field to researchers who are already involved in conducting forgiveness research. Thus, a research agenda is suggested for making an impact on the field of forgiveness, on forgiveness in Africa, (particularly) on forgiveness research in South Africa, and on reconciliation and the furthering of peace.

Forgiveness moderates relations between psychological abuse and indicators of psychological distress among women in romantic relationships

“…Distinctions in forgiveness observed in the current study also align with the mixture of individualistic and collectivistic principles that permeate the ways in which forgiveness is experienced in South African culture. 37,38 At the expense of victims' own needs, collectivistic norms may emphasise the need for victims to forgive transgressors out of obedience to social expectations. 39 Collectivistic principles might explain the decisions of those included in the current sample to forgive their partner, but processing of emotional forgiveness may depend on the extent to which victims' intrapersonal needs are adequately met.…”

Development of the Collectivist‐Sensitive Trait Forgivingness Scale

“…We used recent reviews of the forgiveness research in Africa (Worthington et al ., ) and South Africa (Worthington & Cowden, ) to inform item development. To account for intrapersonal characteristics of forgivingness, the 10 items on the TFS (Berry et al ., ) were selected for inclusion in the preliminary item set.…”

“…Still, others theorize the existence of both decisional forgiveness (i.e., a behavioral intention not to engage in revenge seeking toward a transgressor and to treat them as a valuable person) and emotional forgiveness (i.e., reduction of negative condemning emotions toward a transgressor by neutralizing them with positive emotions; Worthington, Witvliet, Pietrini & Miller, ). To date, the majority of empirical studies on forgiveness utilize Western samples, with few studies examining forgiveness across cultural differences (Hook, Worthington & Utsey, ; Worthington & Cowden, ). For the purpose of this article, we focus on trait forgivingness of others, extending prior work by developing the Collectivist‐Sensitive Trait Forgivingness Scale (TFS‐CS).…”

“…South Africa is a nation that is unique in its multicultural diversity and distinctive group identities, customs, and values (Beck, ), but also one that continues to experience the lingering effects of racially‐targeted injustices, prejudices, and oppression associated with apartheid, a political system that enforced racial segregation and disproportionate prejudice against persons of color (i.e., non‐Whites; Seekings, ). Indeed, the cultural and historical setting of South Africa provides fertile ground for investigating forgiveness in non‐Western cultures; yet, less than 2% of research on forgiveness has been conducted in South Africa (Worthington & Cowden, ). When forgiveness has been studied with South African samples, the emphasis has been on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sought to initiate social healing and nation‐rebuilding following the abolition of apartheid (Worthington et al, ).…”

“…Whereas Western conceptualizations tend to emphasize the intrapersonal nature of forgiveness, in non‐Western cultures forgiveness is experienced interpersonally (Hook et al ., ). Collectivistic societies emphasize interdependence, social cohesion, and cooperation among group members (Kadiangandu et al ., ), suggesting forgiveness and reconciliation may be more closely connected in non‐Western cultures (Worthington & Cowden, ). Indeed, research indicates that collectivistic cultures tend to place greater importance on relationship restoration over victims’ intrapersonal needs.…”