On positive psychological outcomes; what helps groups with a history of conflict to forgive and reconcile with each other?

Noor

Abstract

Three studies examined the roles of traditional and novel social psychological variables involved in intergroup forgiveness. Study 1 (N = 480) revealed that among the pro-Pinochet and the anti-Pinochet groups in Chile, forgiveness was predicted by ingroup identity (negatively), common ingroup identity (positively), empathy and trust (positively), and competitive victimhood (the subjective sense of having suffered more than the outgroup, negatively). Political ideology (Right vs. Left) moderated the relationship between empathy and forgiveness, trust and forgiveness, and between the latter and competitive victimhood. Study 2 (N = 309), set in the Northern Irish conflict between Protestants and Catholics, provided a replication and extension of Study 1. Finally, Study 3 (N = 155/108) examined the longitudinal relationship between forgiveness and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, revealing that forgiveness predicted reconciliation intentions. The reverse direction of this relationship was also marginally significant. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Citation

Noor. (2008). On positive psychological outcomes; what helps groups with a history of conflict to forgive and reconcile with each other?. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 819 - 832. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167208315555

• Acceptance Date: Mar 14, 2008
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2008
• Journal: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
• Print ISSN: 0146-1672
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Pages: 819 - 832
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167208315555
• Keywords: intergroup forgiveness, reconciliation, competitive victimhood, identity, emotions
• Publisher URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167208315555