Let’s go forward, I forgive you!: On motivational correlates of interpersonal forgiveness

Abstract

The present paper explored the idea that forgiveness of others may be related with the victims’ individual differences in three motivational factors, as described in the regulatory mode theory (Higgins et al. 2003) and in the need for cognitive closure theory (Kruglanski 2004): (1) individuals’ tendencies towards psychological motion (as captured in the locomotion construct); (2) individuals’ tendencies towards evaluation and comparison (as captured in the assessment construct); and (3) individuals’ sensitivity to epistemic uncertainty (as captured in the need for closure construct). More specifically, we expected and found that assessment and need for cognitive closure (NFC), through different potential mechanisms (i.e., keeping in mind past transgressions in high assessment; and avoiding epistemic uncertainty in high NFC), are negatively related to peoples’ propensity for forgiveness of others, while locomotion is positively related to it by motivating forward movement. The implications of the results are also discussed with reference to the motivational correlates of forgiveness of others.