Forgiveness, Feeling Connected to Others, and Well-Being: Two Longitudinal Studies

In two studies, the authors investigated the associations between interpersonal forgiveness and psychological well-being. Cross-sectional and prospective multilevel analyses demonstrated that increases in forgiveness (measured as fluctuations in individuals' avoidance, revenge, and benevolence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2008-02, Vol.34 (2), p.182-195
Main Authors: Bono, Giacomo, McCullough, Michael E., Root, Lindsey M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Avoidance behavior
Beneficence
Causal models
Closeness
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions
Female
Florida
Forgiveness
Humans
Interpersonal conflict
Interpersonal Relations
Life satisfaction
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Personal Satisfaction
Physical symptoms
Positive emotions
Prospective Studies
Psychological well being
Psychological wellbeing
Revenge
Surveys and Questionnaires
Transgression
Well being
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Summary:In two studies, the authors investigated the associations between interpersonal forgiveness and psychological well-being. Cross-sectional and prospective multilevel analyses demonstrated that increases in forgiveness (measured as fluctuations in individuals' avoidance, revenge, and benevolence motivations toward their transgressors) were related to within-persons increases in psychological well-being (measured as more satisfaction with life, more positive mood, less negative mood, and fewer physical symptoms). Moreover, forgiveness was more strongly linked to well-being for people who reported being closer and more committed to their partners before the transgression and for people who reported that their partners apologized and made amends for the transgression. Evidence for the reverse causal model, that increases in well-being were related to increases in forgiveness, was also found. However, changes in feelings of closeness toward the partner appeared to account for the associations of forgiveness with well-being, but not vice versa.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167207310025