Abstract
In two studies, the authors sought to identify the mathematical function underlying the temporal course of forgiveness. A logarithmic model outperformed linear, exponential, power, hyperbolic, and exponential-power models. The logarithmic function implies a psychological process yielding diminishing returns, corresponds to the Weber-Fechner law, and is functionally similar to the power law underlying the psychophysical function (Stevens, 1971) and the forgetting function (Wixted & Ebbesen, 1997). By 3 months after their transgressions, the typical participant's forgiveness had increased by two log-odds units. Individual differences in rates of change were correlated with robust predictors of forgiveness. Consistent with evolutionary theorizing (McCullough, 2008), Study 2 revealed that forgiveness was uniquely associated with participants' perceptions that their relationships with their offenders retained value.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 358-376 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Emotion |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2010 |
Keywords
- change
- evolution
- forgiveness
- multilevel modeling
- nonlinear models
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology(all)