Article Accepted Manuscript

Ambivalence in Attitudes Toward Forgiveness

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Boon, Susan D.
Kheong, Megan
Khoury, Careen

Abstract / Description

Are attitudes toward forgiveness ambivalent? To answer this question and explore whether such ambivalence predicts individuals’ propensity to forgive and tendency to view forgiveness as desirable/virtuous, we asked undergraduates (N = 159) to complete measures of ambivalence toward forgiveness, attitudes toward forgiveness, and tendencies to be forgiving/vengeful. Using a number of metrics, our findings suggest that attitudes toward forgiveness are moderately ambivalent. In addition, and as predicted, ambivalence toward forgiveness was associated with diminished inclination to be forgiving, enhanced pro-vengeance orientation, and less idealistic views of forgiveness. Further, highly ambivalent participants scored the same or lower than anti-forgiveness participants in tendencies to be forgiving/vengeful. These findings suggest the existence of a disconnect between people’s actual attitudes toward forgiveness and popular discourses on forgiveness and underscore the need for investigations of and theorizing on forgiveness that more fully recognize its possible costs and limitations or, at the very least, laypeople’s views on these.

Keyword(s)

ambivalence attitudes forgiveness forgivingness vengefulness

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2021-10-06

Journal title

Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships

Publisher

PsychArchives

Publication status

acceptedVersion

Review status

reviewed

Is version of

Citation

Boon, S. D., Kheong, M., & Khoury, C. (in press). Ambivalence in attitudes toward forgiveness [Accepted manuscript]. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships. http://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5151
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Boon, Susan D.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Kheong, Megan
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Khoury, Careen
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2021-10-06T15:37:11Z
  • Made available on
    2021-10-06T15:37:11Z
  • Date of first publication
    2021-10-06
  • Abstract / Description
    Are attitudes toward forgiveness ambivalent? To answer this question and explore whether such ambivalence predicts individuals’ propensity to forgive and tendency to view forgiveness as desirable/virtuous, we asked undergraduates (N = 159) to complete measures of ambivalence toward forgiveness, attitudes toward forgiveness, and tendencies to be forgiving/vengeful. Using a number of metrics, our findings suggest that attitudes toward forgiveness are moderately ambivalent. In addition, and as predicted, ambivalence toward forgiveness was associated with diminished inclination to be forgiving, enhanced pro-vengeance orientation, and less idealistic views of forgiveness. Further, highly ambivalent participants scored the same or lower than anti-forgiveness participants in tendencies to be forgiving/vengeful. These findings suggest the existence of a disconnect between people’s actual attitudes toward forgiveness and popular discourses on forgiveness and underscore the need for investigations of and theorizing on forgiveness that more fully recognize its possible costs and limitations or, at the very least, laypeople’s views on these.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    acceptedVersion
  • Review status
    reviewed
  • Sponsorship
    A Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada post-doctoral fellowship awarded to the third author facilitated her participation in this research.
    en_US
  • Citation
    Boon, S. D., Kheong, M., & Khoury, C. (in press). Ambivalence in attitudes toward forgiveness [Accepted manuscript]. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships. http://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5151
    en_US
  • ISSN
    1981-6472
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/4569
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5151
  • Language of content
    eng
    en_US
  • Publisher
    PsychArchives
    en_US
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.6729
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.12407
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.12407
  • Keyword(s)
    ambivalence
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    attitudes
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    forgiveness
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    forgivingness
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    vengefulness
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Ambivalence in Attitudes Toward Forgiveness
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
    en_US
  • Journal title
    Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
  • Visible tag(s)
    PsychOpen GOLD
    en_US
  • Visible tag(s)
    Accepted Manuscript
    en_US